Science
When did the very first star in the Univese form? How do urban heat islands affect the Phoenix metropolitan area? In the LoCo Lab, we're studying cool questions that span the known Universe!
Explore moreTechnology
From radio telescopes to cubesats to smartphone apps, we're developing new technology and techniques to help explore the Universe and improve science education. Did we mention the drones?
Read about our projectsLearning
In the LoCo Lab, we never stop learning. We love helping others learn, too. We're engaged in mentoring, teaching, and sharing our excitement for science and technology with our community.
Learn moreLoCos in the News!
Follow the links below to read about LoCos doing cool stuff!
Libby Berkhout selected as a Trottier Space Institute Fellow at McGill University
Having completed her Ph.D. in spring 2024, she is heading to McGill University in Montreal, where she will work on instrument development and digital signal processing for the Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector (CHORD).
LoCo professor Danny Jacobs promoted to full professor with tenure
Professor Danny Jacobs was recognized for his leadership in 21cm cosmology, including as Project Scientist of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA), and for his contributions to the development of small satellites at ASU, including LightCube, DORA, and SPARCS.
DORA cubesat delivered to NanoRacks for integration
The ASU student team has successfully integrated the spacecraft into the deployer assembly at the NanoRacks facilities in Houston, Texas. The cubesat will be carried to the International Space Station onboard the Cygnus NG-21 resupply mission flown on a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket later this summer.
SPARCS mission spacecraft bus delivered to ASU for final assembly
The ASU team that is building the NASA-funded Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat, or SPARCS, cleared a major milestone this week — receiving its spacecraft bus at the School of Earth and Space Exploration on the Tempe campus. Read more here.
Steven Murray awarded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship in Europe
In 2023, Murray will head to the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa in Italy where he plans to conduct research with Prof. Andrei Mesinger and collaborators into modeling and analysis of early galaxy evolution, building on the popular 21CMFast semi-numerical simulation code he has helped to develop. He will also investigate techniques for jointly analyzing redshifted 21cm observations from HERA, EDGES and other experiments.
LoCo professor Daniel Jacobs selected for prestigious NSF CAREER award
Assistant Professor Daniel Jacobs to receive the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program award. Jacobs and his team plan to develop advanced instrument calibration tools and techniques for two 21cm cosmology instruments currently under construction at the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) and the Owens Valley Long Wavelength Array (OVRO-LWA).
LoCo Ph.D. student Nivedita Mahesh selected for Young Scientist Award
“The Young Scientist Awards are presented at the General Assemblies of URSI and at the URSI Atlantic Radio Science Conferences (AT-RASC) to recognize an international group of individuals who have made innovative contributions and discoveries in multidiscipline research related to electromagnetic fields and waves.”
LoCo grad student Mru Gopalkrishna headed to Apple
She will join the company as an RF Systems Integration Engineer focusing on WiFi and Bluetooth technologies in their products, including iPhones, watches, and iPads.
SPARCS and DORA selected by NASA for launch
Two cubesats at the same time! The SPARCS 6U cubesat to observe ultraviolet flares from M-dwarf stars and the DORA 3U cubesat to demonstrate widefield optical communication technologies were selected by NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative for launches in 2023.
New center launches with focus on early stars and galaxies
Founded through a generous gift by philanthropists Leo and Annette Beus, the new Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations at Arizona State University aims to help us better understand the history of early stars, galaxies and black holes. LoCo professor Judd Bowman has been selected as the founding director.
Nivedita Mahesh selected for David and Ellen Lee prize postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech
After completing her Ph.D. at ASU in summer 2022, she will head to Caltech to extend her research in low-frequency radio astronomy and apply electromagnetic modeling of antennas to the development and scientific operation of the OVRO-LWA and DSA radio telescopes, as well as the FARSIDE concept for a lunar radio telescope .
Phoenix student cubesat deployed from International Space Station
The deployment was recorded by astronauts onboard the International Space Station on February 19, 2020. Watch the video! Roughly 30 minutes after deployment, Phoenix’s beacon was heard for the first time at a ground station located in Indonesia. Learn more about the Phoenix Cubesat.