Expertise:
Astronomy Education, Star Formation, Citizen Science, Astronomy, Astrophysics, X-ray and Infrared Observations and Modelling, Young Stellar Objects, Ionized Nebulae (H II Regions), The Milky Way, SETIMatthew Povich’s primary research is calibrating star formation rates in Galactic giant molecular clouds against diffuse emission tracers of star formation used in extragalactic studies. His primary tools are multiwavelength (X-ray, visible, IR, radio) observations and modelling. His studies reveal the star-formation histories of young, massive Galactic open clusters, probe the lifetimes of planet-forming disks around very young stars, explore high-energy stellar flares produced by intermediate-mass young stars, and measure the energy injected to star-forming nebulae by massive stars. Povich and his collaborators have also identified hundreds of previously-undiscovered massive stars throughout the Milky Way.
Povich harnessed the power of citizen science as a principal architect of the Milky Way Project, one of the original 10 Zooniverse citizen science projects. Since 2015, he has served as the lead scientist, coordinating research across a multinational team of 30+ scientists and engaging with volunteers. Nearly 50,000 people from 100+ countries have participated since its inception. Povich is also the founder and director of the Bringing the Universe to the Inland-empire and Los Angeles school Districts (BUILD) program. Cal Poly Pomona students and faculty visit local K-12 schools serving large populations of minority and potential first-generation college students to give astronomy presentations and set up telescopes for night-sky viewing.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- With L.K. Townsley and P.S. Broos, Chandra X-ray Observatory Large Project Observing Program, “X-raying the Bones of the Milky Way,” proposal ID 18200040, (525 ks, $202,610), 2016
- Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation CAREER Program, “Building a Unified Framework for Galactic Star Formation Rates, Citizen Science, and Minority Students in Astronomy,” CAREER-1454333, $650,000, 2015
- Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation, AAG/RUI Program, “COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Citizen Science Assists a Novel Measurement of Mass-Loss Rates and Extends the Galactic Census of Runaway Massive Stars,” AST-1411851, $90,000, 2014
- With A.L. Rudolph, et al., National Science Foundation, S-STEM Program, “Cal-Bridge: a California Bridge to Astronomy and Physics PhDs for Underrepresented Minority Students,” $637,000, 2014
- With J. T. Wright and S. Sigurdson, New Frontiers in Cosmology and Astrophysics Program, “Constraining the Abundance of Kardaches Type II and III Civilizations from Large-Area Infrared Surveys,”$300,000, 2012
Selected Publications:
- With B.A. Binder, “A Multiwavelength Look at Galactic Massive Star Forming Regions,” ApJ, 864, 136, 2018
- With H.A. Busk, E.D. Feigelson, L.K. Townsley and M.A. Kuhn, “Candidate X-Ray-emitting OB Stars in MYStIX Massive Star-forming Regions, ApJ, 838, 61, 2017
- With H. A. Kobulnicky, et al. “A Comprehensive Search for Stellar Bowshock Nebulae in the Milky Way: A Catalog of 709 Mid-infrared Selected Candidates,” 2016, ApJS, 227, 18
- With L.K. Townsley, T.P. Robitaille, P.S. Broos, W.T. Orbin, R.R. King, T. Naylor and B.A. Whitney, “Rapid Circumstellar Disk Evolution and an Accelerating Star Formation Rate in the Infrared Dark Cloud M17 SWex,” ApJ, 825, 125, 2016
- With R. L. Griffth, J. T. Wright, J. T. Maldonado*, S. Sigurdsson, and B. Mullan, “The G-HAT Infrared Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations with Large Energy Supplies. III. The Reddest Extended Sources in WISE”, 2015, ApJS, 217, 25
- With R. O. Sexton, N. Smith, B. L. Babler, M. R. Meade, and A. L. Rudolph. Extended red objects and stellar-wind bow shocks in the Carina Nebula. 2015, MNRAS, 446, 1047
- With M.A. Kuhn, K.V. Getman, H.A. Busk, E.D. Feigelson, P.S. Broos, L.K. Townsley, R.R. King and T. Naylor, “The MYStIX InfraRed-Excess Source Catalog,” ApJS, 209, 31, 2013
- With R. J. Simpson, et al., “The Milky Way Project First Data Release: A Bubblier Galactic Disk,” 2012, MNRAS, 424, 2442
- With L. Chomiuk, “Toward a Unification of Star Formation Rate Determinations in the Milky Way and Other Galaxies,” AJ, 142, 197, 2011
Interviews:
- “Fast-Moving Stars and Interstellar Bow Shocks,” Afternoon Astronomy Coffee Hang-out, Deep Astronomy live-streamed video, March 9, 2017
- “Universal Appeal: Cal Poly Pomona Leads the Milky Way Project,” PolyTrends magazine, Winter 2017
- “Cal Poly Pomona needs your help mapping the Milky Way,” KPCC Public Radio, Oct. 13, 2016
- “Milky Way Project Relaunches Citizen Science Website,” Spitzer Space Telescope
- image release, Sept. 21, 2016
- “Searching for Kardashev Type II and III Civilizations with WISE,” SETI institute
- live-streamed video panel discussion (featuring Freeman Dyson and Jill Tarter), Sept. 18, 2013
- “Alien megaprojects: The hunt has begun,” New Scientist, April 9, 2013
Education:
A.B., Astronomy, Harvard College
M.S. and Ph.D., Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Languages:
English, Swahili, French (a little)