Earth-Shattering Discovery - Alumna Alexa Staley Helps Prove Einstein's Theory of General Relativity
In 2016, LIGO (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) opened an unprecedented new window on the cosmos with its detection of gravitational waves, a confirmation of Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity. Chapin's own Alexa Staley '07 worked on the LIGO project for two years as a graduate student in physics at Columbia University. "We were deaf to the universe, and now we can listen," she said. "This is a whole new door of gravitational wave astronomy– with more detections, we can learn more things about the universe."
Upper School Science Teacher Prasad Akavoor agreed that the discovery was a momentous one. "This measurement of gravitational waves has evaded scientists for decades," he said. "The fact that a former Chapin student was involved in this incredible venture is definitely something we should all be proud of."
Dr. Staley first developed her interest in Einstein's theory during her years at Bowdoin, where, in her sophomore year, she took a course on general relativity and studied gravitational waves for the first time. When she went to graduate school to study physics, she received the opportunity to work in the LIGO lab through one of her professors. "I had to learn a lot while I was there," she said. "From working with lasers, optics, and modeling control loops, to some computer programming in order to automate the steps required to get the detector up and running."
Once the LIGO scientists made the discovery, Dr. Staley said that a large team of scientists had to review the findings before they went public. "We had to cross all of our T's and dot our I's to make sure that we were 100% confident in our findings. I think the hardest thing," she added, "was keeping it quiet. We knew about the event in September, but obviously we didn't make it public until February. I couldn't even tell my parents, and they'd always ask me things like, 'How's LIGO? Anything exciting going on?'"
At an Upper School News assembly, Dr. Staley spoke openly about the fact that – as in the case of Einstein himself – schoolwork didn't always come easily to her. "I grew up with a lot of learning disabilities," she said. With hard work, she persevered through Lower and Middle School and, by Upper School, developed her considerable strengths. In remembering Alexa Staley's time at the School, Mr. Akavoor emphasized her commitment to science, evident from an early age. "It would be no exaggeration to say that no physics problem was too difficult for Alexa. She had a passion for physics and a penchant for abstract thinking. Her problem solving techniques and critical thinking skills were exceptional."
When asked if she had any advice for budding scientists at Chapin, Dr. Staley said firmly, "Get involved. Stick with it. If you're passionate about it just stick through it. I think Chapin gives you great tools and a great foundation – you can really make an impact and change the world!" She added that, for women scientists, it was especially important to demonstrate persistence as long as they remained a minority in the field. "It's everyone's responsibility to change the balance – right now is a super exciting time."
*UPDATE: In 2017, Dr. Staley's team was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for its work on LIGO. "It's been an amazing few years for the LIGO collaboration. LIGO has made four gravitational wave detections of binary black hole mergers in the span of two years. The first detection occurred in 2015 only about 7 months after both detectors were simultaneously turned on. It is extremely exciting and well-deserved that Rai, Kip and Barry received the Nobel Prize in Physics, and is a reflection of everyone's hard work in the collaboration. I was beyond thrilled when I heard the news. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work at LIGO and alongside such a fantastic team. It's been a great highlight of my career and I am so glad I was able to be a part of it all. LIGO has made physics history, and I can't express how happy I am for the collaboration and to have been involved," Dr. Staley shared.