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Dr. Alexander Konopelko’s fascination with outer space may have been influenced by pop culture, but his scientific research in astrophysics these days is without a doubt far beyond the average star gazer – both intellectually and in proximity.
“I watched a lot of movies about space research growing up. I loved Star Trek,” said Konopelko, a physics professor at PSU whose area of study focuses on black holes millions of miles beyond the Earth’s surface.
Not a bad place for space experts to begin. After moving to the United States from Germany three years ago, Konopelko spent a year as a research associate at Purdue before being recruited to teach at Pitt State. Since then, he has quickly proven why he is part of a selective group of highly regarded astrophysicists in the country: This fall, he and his researchers were awarded a $140,000 grant from NASA to study black holes. Their goal is to catch one in a flaring state, which he says would ultimately help explain the evolution of the universe.
Dr. Alexander Konopelko’s fascination with outer space may have been influenced by pop culture, but his scientific research in astrophysics these days is without a doubt far beyond the average star gazer – both intellectually and in proximity.
“I watched a lot of movies about space research growing up. I loved Star Trek,” said Konopelko, a physics professor at PSU whose area of study focuses on black holes millions of miles beyond the Earth’s surface.
Not a bad place for space experts to begin. After moving to the United States from Germany three years ago, Konopelko spent a year as a research associate at Purdue before being recruited to teach at Pitt State. Since then, he has quickly proven why he is part of a selective group of highly regarded astrophysicists in the country: This fall, he and his researchers were awarded a $140,000 grant from NASA to study black holes. Their goal is to catch one in a flaring state, which he says would ultimately help explain the evolution of the universe.
