Kushaal Kumar Pothula
I am a 16-year-old high school senior with an incredible amount of interest in Astronomy and Astrophysics, studying topics in high energy astrophysics, such Magnetars and Fast Radio Bursts, and Astrophysics in general.
About me
I am Kushaal Kumar Pothula, a 16 year old high school senior. I have an incredible amount of interest in astrophysics. The night sky has always fascinated me, and I find it amazing to study and understand physical processes occurring in the universe. I study topics in astrophysics, such as Magnetars, Fast Radio Bursts, and Black Holes.
Academic Awards
- Broadcom MASTERS International Delegate at Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2020.
- Winner of NASA Data Challenge 2021, an astronomy competition where participants analyze data from the Hubble Space Telescope (among top 32 of participants throughout the world). My submission (multiwavelength data analysis) was selected as a standout entry (top 32) and it was appreciated by a NASA scientist.
- A+ grade for research and presentation at National Children’s Science Congress 2018 (among top 13 throughout India).
- A grade for research and presentation at National Children’s Science Congress 2019 (among top 30 throughout India).
- Special award at IRIS National Fair 2019-20: Broadcom MASTERS International Delegate (among top 30 throughout India).
- Member of the Junior Academy of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Extracurricular and Research Works
- Harvard Observing Project fall 2020 – Exoplanets. I participated in the Harvard Observing Project Fall 2020, in which astronomical observations are made and analyzed using the Harvard Clay Telescope.
- Research Article — Tidal Disruption of Magnetars as Sources of Fast Radio Bursts, published as a preprint. I conducted research on tidal disruption of magnetars as the sources of Fast Radio Bursts, an idea which I got when I was in 7th grade, which I sent to NASA back then and got a reply from them.
- Student Researcher and Mentor — Magnetar Timing Research Group, Pulsar Search Collaboratory. I am a mentor and student researcher at the Pulsar Search Collaboratory, where research teams use the 20-meter telescope at the green bank observatory to do research.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9787-1889
Kushaal Kumar Pothula 