Before developing his interest in astronomy, junior Eric Murphy had never been west of Pennsylvania. Yet he studied so-called "nearby" bright galaxies 33 million light years away. Now, in addition to sharing his knowledge with PhDs and the professional community at locations around the world, he is teaching fellow students in his Experimental College class, Observational Astronomy.
Though he first became interested in the cosmos during a high school astronomy class, a chance meeting with Tufts astronomy professor Bill Waller proved vital to Murphy's ultimate success. Murphy's work in the field has led him not only west of Pennsylvania, but also south of the equator. In just two summers, Murphy has worked on original research with Waller and Yale associate professor of astronomy Jeff Kenney; has published multiple abstracts and contributed to forthcoming journal articles on integral field spectroscopy; and has traveled to Rochester, NY, San Diego, CA, and La Serena, Chil?© to present his work at prestigious Astronomical Society conferences. "There's nothing that can prepare you for doing the research - you learn as you're going along," Murphy said. "You can think you know something, but until you're actually working and it all falls into play, you don't." At such conferences, Murphy is one of only a handful of undergraduates presenting work. Other presenters often approach him to question and discuss his work. "It's kind of funny," Murphy explained. "So many people come by and ask questions: 'Is this for your PhD defense?' It's funny, but I'm really comfortable with presenting. Maybe it's because I like it so much." Murphy's outgoing and laid-back personality makes him easy to understand, even when he's talking about his complicated research studies. But he normally restricts his explanations and discussions to the academic realm. "I'm not big about talking about this outside of the element," he explained. "There's so much more to life than just that." To give Tufts students a better taste of space, Murphy took the initiative to fill a void in the astronomy curriculum by offering his own course this semester through the Ex College. "I'm trying to bridge a gap between the intro classes and the stellar," Murphy said. "Students don't want anything hard, but they want something more [than they would get out of a typical class.]" The hands-on class will focus on students' observations of celestial objects. Fifteen students have already enrolled. The class will travel to Boston University during the semester for periodic telescope viewings.
"He's really very knowledgeable," said Robyn Gittleman, director of the Ex College, who thinks highly of Murphy's expertise and willingness to share with fellow students. "Upon meeting [Eric] you just feel comfortable asking him all these questions... he has good interpersonal skills."
"He seems really nice and he's really enthusiastic about the subject," said freshman Amy Gonzalez, who is enrolled in Murphy's class. "I think that's what I was really surprised about. It was really laid back and fun and he seemed really down to earth... He's constantly laughing and cracking jokes."
"It's nice that our undergraduates can be role models," Gittleman added.
Murphy hasn't let his achievements go to his head, and is consistently delighted by the opportunities that Tufts has afforded him. Since the astronomy department at Tufts is so small, Murphy has already exhausted the course load offered. Yet the closeness of the department and the faculty's attention to its students has given him the opportunity for grants and internships in different fields of astronomy.
"I still don't know exactly what I want to do. I've been working with galaxies, but now I'm interested in looking into star formations," Murphy said.
After the conference in San Diego last year, Murphy stopped at the University of Arizona for a chance to spend some time utilizing the wind telescope and do some first-hand work that involved earlier stages of research than he had been doing over the summer. Although he hasn't had the time to work with the data he collected, Murphy is eager to use the information in future endeavors.
"Doing this work takes a lot of time, especially when you pile it on with school work," Murphy said. "I just try not to get stressed out. I take everything in stride."
From Kensington, Conn., Murphy started his Jumbo career as a baseball player with an interest in math and a drive to have fun. Murphy's easy-going attitude disguises the hard-working mathematician that lives within the Red Sox fan and Sigma Nu brother. Murphy always has claimed to dedicate himself to one specific goal: fun. Although the path didn't always lead to the stars, he quickly found the astronomy department to be a good outlet for his passion.
"I wanted to do a million things when I was younger," Murphy said. "I wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be an architect, [I] thought about becoming an actuary... I was always interested in math, and astronomy seems more fun than medical research."
Murphy is scheduled to give a talk at the Tufts Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 3, but his goal is to speak at next year's American Astronomical Society meeting. Between the time spent on grants and doing research, Murphy spends his time balancing classes and friends, just like every other undergraduate.
"I really try to stay organized," Murphy said. "Except for the weekends. That's when you just let go, then try to get it all together Sunday night."
