OCNews

It is a great time to be involved in the unfolding history of science."

Q: What is your name and role at Okanagan College?

A: I’m Ryan Ransom. I teach in the Physics and Astronomy Department at Okanagan College. My home campus is Penticton.

Q: What is your education and background?

A: I have a BSc in Space Engineering Sciences, and an MSc and PhD in Astrophysics. All degrees are from York University in Toronto.

Q: What is your area of interest?

A: I worked between 1995 and 2006 on the NASA-Stanford Gravity Probe B mission, a $1 billion spacecraft-based test of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. The mission successfully verified two predictions of general relativity.

I moved with my family to Penticton in 2007 to work on the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO). My particular interest is old planetary nebulae; i.e., the expanding death clouds of Sun-type stars.

Q: When did you know you had found your discipline?

A: I have been in love with the sky for as long as I can remember. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an astronomer.

Q: Why did you choose to work at Okanagan College?

A: It’s a great place to teach. Our small classes give instructors and students a real chance to connect. Also, the Penticton campus is just ~25 km from DRAO.

Q: What do you like most about the work you do?

A: I’m passionate about the material and really passionate about teaching/connecting. The classroom is the ultimate workplace.

Q: Tell me about your involvement with the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory?

A: I was a postdoctoral fellow at DRAO in 2007-08, working on the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey. I maintain a Visiting Scientist position, which gives me ongoing access to the facility and its world-class instruments. I arrange and conduct tours of DRAO for our OC students/staff, school groups of various ages and the general public.

Q: Favourite teaching experience?

A: The “wow” moment that a student experiences when introduced to something surprising/exciting. Also, when a student who didn’t think they could “do Physics” tells me, at the end of the year, that Physics (or Astronomy) was their favourite subject 😊

Q: What advice do you have for new students?

A: Get engaged. Come to class, ask questions, get to know your instructors and your peers. Institutions like OC have fantastic support services. Don’t be afraid to ask for help/guidance.

Q: Why do you think people should enter the Physics and Astronomy field?

A: Perhaps more than ever before, society needs enthusiastic, young scientists. The big questions in Physics and Astronomy (e.g., life beyond Earth, dark matter, dark energy, the existence of a multi-verse) need to be answered. It is a great time to be involved in the unfolding history of science.

Q: If you could go back in time, is there anything you would do differently?

A: I think I’d study Astrobiology, which brings together knowledge/research from various fields. The first exoplanet wasn’t discovered until 1995, after I started graduate school. Today, the exoplanet catalogue has thousands of members. Wouldn’t it be great to be involved in the search for life in the Universe?!

Q: Where are you the happiest?

A: Either outside, enjoying our beautiful landscapes, or in the classroom. Someday, maybe, it will be celebrating a Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup victory.