Artsci student shines through stellar nucleosynthesis thesis project

Andie Sheehan has been fascinated by both physics and astronomy for as long as she can remember. She has always loved to think about and ask “big questions” about the universe and its origins, but never imagined this passion was something she could pursue academically. That was until she was in a second year Artsci Physics (ARTSSCI 2D06) course taught by Dr. Alan Chen, who spoke with the students about his research on experimental nuclear astrophysics. “The idea of stars being the driving force behind element synthesis was just so interesting to me. I was especially compelled by the fact that this was something we could measure experimentally,” Andie says. “It stuck with me so strongly, in fact, that when it was time to reach out to potential thesis supervisors at the end of my third year, all I wanted was to ask if there was a way to involve myself in Dr. Chen’s research.”

Fast forward to today. Andie is now in her fourth year of the Arts & Science Program and is working as a member of Dr. Chen’s research group for her Arts & Science thesis. Andie’s project investigates a nuclear reaction important to our understanding of stellar nucleosynthesis, the process by which nearly all of the chemical elements are created in stars. Researchers like Dr. Chen are interested in learning more about this process as it not only helps answer important astrophysical questions but also provides insight into the creation of all the matter we see on earth. For her project, Andie has been working on a specific reaction important to the creation of Magnesium, which Dr. Chen’s research group plans to measure experimentally in the near future at TRIUMF – Canada’s nuclear accelerator facility – using an apparatus called DRAGON (Detector of Recoils and Gammas of Nuclear Reactions).

To prepare for the DRAGON measurement, Andie says her “thesis work is in performing monte carlo simulations that tell us about some key DRAGON parameters related to her specific nuclear reaction, along with their systematic uncertainties.” This information will be extremely important for planning the future DRAGON experiment and also in interpreting that experimental data.

Andie spent the first month or so of her thesis work to get her understanding of nuclear astrophysics up to par with the requirements of the project. Grateful to have Dr. Chen as her thesis supervisor, Andie shared, “throughout our time working together, Dr. Chen has done nothing but make me feel as though he genuinely wants me to succeed—both within my project and beyond.”

Creating opportunities for new learning and growth, Dr. Chen invited Andie to visit TRIUMF over the winter break. “It was an incredible opportunity to familiarize myself with the equipment I had been working on remotely for months,” says Andie.

Visiting TRIUMF was a true highlight of Andie’s undergraduate experience. She had known about TRIUMF prior to this trip and had always thought it would be a cool place to visit and to work, so getting to participate in an experiment was a surreal experience.

“Getting to see DRAGON in person and in practice really gave my project a physical context. It’s one thing to understand a piece of equipment through diagrams and technical explanations, but it’s another entirely to be in the room and have experts willing to talk to me and explain the apparatus,” said Andie. “Getting to visit and ask questions definitely helped me gain a better understanding of my work and its applications.”

Additionally, there were researchers present from all over the world to help with that particular DRAGON experiment. In connecting with many of them, Andie gained insights into what a path forward in this field might look like for her. “Having those conversations and receiving that advice was really invaluable.”

With Dr. Chen’s further encouragement, Andie was invited to present her work virtually at the Canadian Conference for Undergraduate Women & Gender Minorities in Physics (CCUW*iP) held at the University of British Columbia from January 30 to February 1, 2026. “Attending and presenting at the conference was a really rewarding experience,” Andie said. “It was a great opportunity to connect with other students like myself and also to learn more about the many different areas of study physics has to offer.” Through this experience, Andie was able to gain confidence in presenting and also deepen her understanding of her thesis project and its motivations.

Andie left the conference with a 3rd place prize for best online oral presentation and feeling fortunate to learn from and alongside other women speakers, not only about their research, but also about how they found themselves pursuing physics and navigating the field as a gender minority.

The knowledge, guidance, and invaluable experience Andie has gained through her Artsci thesis work has fostered both personal and academic growth, offering a meaningful example of the supportive, challenging, inquiry-based learning the program aims to facilitate.

Andie will present her thesis project to the Artsci community on Monday 16 March 2026 at 12:30PM in LRW 3038.