Reaching for the Stars

A native of Missouri City on the outskirts of Houston, Lockett initially applied to the University of Texas, but was not accepted since he was just outside the top 10% of his high school class. He was considering a community college close to home when he got a positive report from his girlfriend during her freshman year at ASU.

Jaylon Lockett “So I started looking at ASU’s physics program, and I was also interested in astronomy,” Lockett said. “I looked at the astronomy website and saw that ASU had a planetarium and a bunch of astronomy classes, and that was right up my alley. So I signed up to come check it out.”

While visiting campus, a chance meeting in the parking lot with Dr. Trey Holik of the physics faculty settled Lockett’s college choice.

“He had this instrument with him, one of those that when you crank it up, it shocks you,” Lockett said. “I sort of knew what it was, so I asked him how it worked. He saw I was interested, and he invited me to his office and explained it to me. That really helped me finalize my decision to come to ASU.”

Since then, Lockett has hit the ground running. He joined the Society of Physics Students (SPS) and has conducted research with Dr. Kenneth Carrell, director of the Planetarium, on a variable stars project titled “Transient Changes in TESS Lightcurves of RR Lyrae” that was funded by the National Science Foundation. They presented their research at the 2023 national meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Seattle, and then Lockett presented his research poster at the annual meeting of the Texas Academy of Science hosted on the ASU campus.

The pair are also working on another research project dealing with stellar populations in globular clusters of the Milky Way that is funded by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Faculty and Student Team initiative. Their ongoing collaborations convinced Carrell to recommend that Lockett apply for a prestigious national scholarship through the TEAM-UP Together Scholarship Program (TUTSP).

“At ASU, the professors really care about us learning. And it’s not just about passing classes, it’s about us really grasping the content.”

- Jaylon Lockett

The TUTSP is administered by the national Society of Physics Students to aid Black and African American students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in physics and astronomy – and who show financial need.

“At first I thought, ‘What are the chances?’” Lockett said. “But I figured I’d give it a try. So I answered all their questions truthfully and asked Dr. Carrell to write me a recommendation.”

In August, Lockett was notified that he was one of fewer than 50 students nationwide, and the first ASU student ever, to be awarded a $10,000 TEAM-UP Together Scholarship. He is also eligible to apply to renew the scholarship each year.

“I thought I didn’t get the scholarship because it took so long to hear back,” Lockett said. “Then I woke up one morning and had a message that I had been selected. I shot an email to Dr. Carrell, ‘We got it!’ The fact that they looked at what I had to offer, and then chose me, shows me that they see worth in me, they see value. That’s even more gratifying to me than the money.”

“Jaylon has been an excellent student in my classes,” Carrell said, “and he has done great work on research with me. I am very happy that TEAM-UP Together has awarded him this scholarship to help make his time here at ASU financially easier, and to make his future goals more attainable.”

Dr. Kenneth Carrell As for Lockett’s future goals, he is still just a sophomore and continuing to explore his options. But he does have a few ideas.

“Obviously, it would be cool to work for someplace like SpaceX or NASA,” Lockett said. “I’m also interested in research because I’ve been doing that with Dr. Carrell here at ASU. So, a research path for me wouldn’t be surprising.”

And to think that Lockett’s ASU journey began with a chance meeting in the Vincent Building parking lot.

“Since I’ve been here, what I’ve enjoyed the most about ASU is that you can really connect with your professors,” Lockett said. “That story about how I first met Dr. Holik, that probably wouldn’t happen at a larger university. But at ASU, the professors really care about us learning. And it’s not just about passing classes, it’s about us really grasping the content.”

“There are also a lot of places to explore, to go see the stars. You can actually see the stars out here. It couldn’t have worked out better for me.”