The Bates Galaxies Lab

Galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 (Webb and Hubble Image)
Two face-on spiral galaxies take up almost the entire view, both set against the black background of space. At first glance, their bright cores, and red and blue spiral arms make the galaxies look like a colorful masquerade mask that sits above the nose. The galaxy at left, IC 2163, is smaller than the galaxy at right, taking up a little over a quarter of the view. The galaxy at right, NGC 2207, takes up half the view, with edges of its spiral arms reaching the bottom, right, and top of the frame. The two galaxies overlap at the center of the frame, with the smaller IC 2163 behind the larger NGC 2207.

The Bates Astrophysics Galaxy Evolution Lab (or the “BAGEL”) uses large datasets from ground and space-based telescopes to study several different galaxies and their unique traits. With this data, astrophysicists can evaluate how gas penetrates various galaxies, forms stars, and fuels the growth of supermassive black holes. We can also evaluate and continue questioning how energy and momentum from massive stars and black holes expel gas out of these galaxies.

The BAGEL is established and run under Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Professor of Physics and Astronomy as well as Chair of the Department at Bates College. Aleksandar (Aleks) Diamond-Stanic received his BA in Physics from Carleton College and his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona. He was a Center for Galaxy Evolution Fellow at the University of California, San Diego and a Grainger Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before joining the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Bates College. His research focuses on the evolution of galaxies and the growth of supermassive black holes through cosmic time. He brings an enthusiasm for interactive teaching methods and student engagement in research, cultivating an environment that is welcoming, equitable, and supportive of growth and success.

Start by Looking Up

This striking composite image of the spiral galaxy Messier 106 (NGC 4258) blends optical and infrared views, revealing the galaxy’s multi-phase structure and highlighting regions of intense star formation invisible to the naked eye.

According to the one and only Albert Einstein, “The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible”. Well, at least as comprehensible as we are willing to work to understand it. And since the days of old Albert, we have come exceedingly far, further than I am sure he would have imagined. And yet, in comparison to the grand chaos of space and time, we know little to nothing!

At the BAGEL, students are mentored as they build their knowledge in astronomy and physics concepts, increase their coding capabilities using Python, read and analyze other scientists’ work, and make discoveries of their own. Throughout the year, our research raises questions surrounding our very existence and how the infinite universe around us works. Astrophysics is a quest for understanding everything, from the birth of galaxies to the death of stars, and how all of it fits together. It helps develop skills in programming, big picture problem-solving, teamwork, mathematical modeling, data analysis, communication, and the critical evaluation of previous scientific work. Here, philosophy meets physics… and our lab is the entire cosmos.

Stay Updated!

Our 2025 Summer Researchers for both Team JWST and Team eBOSS will be presenting their work during Back to Bates Weekend at the Summer Research Poster Session, held on October 3rd, 2025. They will be joined by over 40 of their fellow students who received Bates grants and fellowships, all presenting their discoveries!

Bates Galaxies Lab has an Instagram account, where you can keep track of our latest and greatest activities and revelations! Follow our work here!

Active Projects

Team JWST Research

A significant field of study for astrophysicists is the formation of massive galaxies, which is driven by powerful, compact starbursts with energetic feedback. These compact starbursts are galaxies that are small in size, but have intense star formation and often high redshift values. Redshift values are found through evaluating the light of distant objects that appears shifted towards the red end of the spectrum; thus, the object is moving away from the observer. Massive galaxies form at a high redshift of about z > 3, but recent discoveries find a low redshift of about z < 0.5 in massive compact starbursts with powerful ionized and molecular outflows. These outflows regulate star formation (SF).

As part of the JWST Research Project, astrophysicists are analysing five representative compact starburst galaxies, exhibited in Figure 1 as J1107, J1219, J1506, J1613, and J2118. These galaxies are extremely unique, with velocities up to 3000 km/s and radii of up to 50 kpc. A range of optical, mid-IR, molecular, and radio observations can help illustrate the morphologies and energy of their outflows.

Figure 1: This shows our 5 different galaxies: J1107, J1219, J1506, J1613, and J2118. UV/Optical spectra and HST images of our targets. The red line in the left panel shows the stellar population model fits to the continuum, which is dominated by young stars. Despite the very blue spectra, the galaxies are IR-luminous suggesting an unusual dust geometry. The Middle panel shows the outflow velocities inferred from the Mg II λλ2796, 2804 absorption line. The velocity scale corresponds to the bluer member of the doublet and the dashed blue line marks v=-2500 km s−1. The images on the far right are 600 cutouts of HST WFC3 images, highly stretched to show faint tidal features. This image is shown as a part of “What Lies Beneath: Understanding the Hidden Engines Driving Extreme Outflows and Galaxy Quenching” al. Diamond-Stanic.

Among the many queries our lab team explores, we look into our JWST data and wonder: Is the powerful feedback driven by star formation or a hidden Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs)?

So, how do we begin to tackle these questions? We can start by looking at spectral features of our galaxies that can trace recent SF activities, such as PAH features (which stands for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, AKA little molecules made of fused aromatic rings made of carbon and hydrogen that are excited by UV radiation from young, massive stars), [NeII] emissions (which traces photoionized gas in the mid-infrared, is strong in H II regions ionized by young massive stars, and therefore useful for studying SF regions or dusty starburst galaxies), and MIRI spectral properties (mid-infrared spectroscopy enabling detailed studies of dust, gas, molecules, and stars). Thus, we can study the outflows and their connections to the Circumgalactic Medium (or CGM: the vast halo of gas that surrounds a galaxy’s dark matter halo, which is a major source of SF), as these outflows contain the energy needed for SF. These outflows are driven by stellar winds, supernova explosions, galactic mergers, AGNs, and cosmic rays. Overall, galactic outflows and negative feedback can be caused by the SF process or AGN activity, and therefore can be analysed to further understand our galaxies.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged the Sombrero galaxy with its NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), which shows dust from the galaxy’s outer ring blocking stellar light from stars within the galaxy. In the central region of the galaxy, the roughly 2,000 globular clusters, or collections of hundreds of thousands of old stars held together by gravity, glow in the near-infrared.

Team eBOSS Research

eBOSS maps the distribution of galaxies and quasars from when the Universe was 3 to 8 billion years old, a critical time when dark energy started to affect the expansion of the Universe. At higher redshifts, during a time when the Universe was matter-dominated, eBOSS uses the Lyman-alpha forest to map out the matter distribution. Image Credit: Dana Berry / SkyWorks Digital Inc. and the SDSS collaboration.

The Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) collected point-source optical spectroscopy from ~1.9 million galaxies and more than 600,000 quasars. The eBOSS team at Bates uses these spectra to measure the outflow velocities of groups of galaxies by stacking their spectra (to increase the signal-to-noise ratio) and looking at the Doppler broadening of gas absorption lines. These velocities are used to investigate correlations between the velocity of outflows and physical parameters, such as the mass or star-formation rate of galaxies, to uncover what drives gas outflows in star-forming galaxies.

This is a conceptual illustration of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and its gas flows surrounding a galaxy, based on Figure 1 from Tumlinson et al. 2017, *Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics*. It captures the dynamic, multiphase gas cycle in and around galaxies.

Previous Work

Over the years, our students and researchers have collaborated to work on different projects. Whether it’s for a senior thesis project or summer research, the BAGEL has stimulated academic growth and curious minds since 2016. By evaluating our past discoveries, we can begin to question what we know and work to uncover the breakthroughs of the future.

Presenting Research Over the Years

Sophia and Josh standing with their poster — Sophia Gottlieb and Josh Rines, members of the First BAGEL Team, present their combined research at Bates’ Annual Mt. David Summit in March 2017.

Fahim Khan and his Mt. David Summit Poster — Fahim Khan, class of 2020, presents his research at the Mt. David Summer in 2017 after an independent study on Galactic Spectroscopy in 3D.

BAGEL Team, Summer 2017: (Standing, left to right) King Valdez ’19, Jose Ruiz ’18, Eve Cinquino ’19, Sophia Gottlieb ’17, Kwamae Delva ’18, Charlie Lipscomb ’18, Senyo Ohene ’20 (Seated, left to right) Chris Bradna ’20, Assistant Professor of Physics Aleksandr Diamond-Stanic, Fahim Khan ’20.

BAGEL researchers have a discussion with Professor Aleks Diamond-Stanic about the absorption spectrum from one of the many galaxies they are evaluating over the summer. (2017)

On Back to Bates weekend, sophomores Fahim Khan and Chris Bradna eagerly present their summer research. Khan and Bradna spent this summer working in Team MANGA, a branch of the BAGEL exploring what extraplanar gas can tell us about the galactic quenching of star formation.

Kwamae Delva and King Valdez representing the BAGEL at Back to Bates weekend (2017), as they present their summer research on High-Velocity Outflows in compact Starburst Galaxies with Absorbtion-Line Spectroscopy at High Spectral Resolution.

Our student researchers Rebecca Minsley and Emily Woods showcase their work on Extraplanar Gas Flows in the MaNGA Galaxy Survey at Back to Bates weekend (2018).

Two student researchers present their research on Compact Galaxies with Dust Outflows and Stellar Mass Profiles from Hubble Images at SACNAS 2018 in San Antonio, Texas.

Rebecca Minsley presents at AAS, January 2020, on molecular gas heating and modified dust properties in active galaxies based on summer research done here in Hawai’i and now submitted to The Astrophysical Journal!

Brandon Gustavo Villalta Lopez ‘25 and Jade Pinto’25 at a conference presentation at NDiSTEM2022 in Puerto Rico.

Grace LaFountain ’26 presents her Summer Research for the JWST Project on galaxy J2118, otherwise known as Makani.

Sarah McOskar ’28 presents her Summer Research for the JWST Project on galaxy J1107.

Byars Langdon ’27 presents her Summer Research for the JWST Project on galaxy J1506.

Sonya Moo ’28 presents her Summer Research for the JWST Project on galaxy J1613.

Brandon Gustavo Villalta Lopez ‘25 presents his Summer Research for the EBOSS Project.

Creating a Community

Bates Galaxies Lab has brought together various individuals of different interests, class years, and backgrounds through a shared love of exploration and learning. Every presentation, project, and research trip brings each student closer to understanding where their own curiosity lies. This exciting journey is one we take as a team each year. Our interest in the galaxies around our own Milky Way, as well as the science that supports our current understanding of the universe, is what brings us together to create an environment stimulating growth, inquisitiveness, and a quest for knowledge.