Aster Winkler, a participant in CIERA’s 2025 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, has received a prestigious Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award from the American Astronomical Society (AAS) for their outstanding poster presentation. Winkler was selected as an award recipient following a competitive, two-stage evaluation process.
A senior at Brown University, studying astrophysics, Winkler’s research interests are in large scale structure; galaxy formation, evolution, and structure; and probes thereof.
As a member of the 2025 cohort of the CIERA REU at Northwestern, Winkler conducted their research under the mentorship of CIERA faculty member Tjitske Starkenburg. Winkler’s poster outlined their work creating mock observations of simulated globular cluster stellar streams using the bands of the Wide Field Instrument of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
The Chambliss Award was presented at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS 247), held in Phoenix, Arizona, in January 2025. Winker and twelve other members of the Summer 2025 CIERA REU cohort presented their research to the international astronomy community at the conference. 
Winkler’s poster and in-person presentation were evaluated during the meeting and emerged as an award winner out of a competitive field of undergraduate researchers.
2026 is the fourth consecutive year that a CIERA REU student has been recognized in the Chambliss competition, with Jessica Cotturone winning in 2025, Sebastian Banaszak and Vishnu Gade winning in 2024, and Claire Zwicker receiving an honorable mention in 2023.”
The Astronomy Achievement Student Awards recognize exemplary research by undergraduate and graduate students presenting posters at AAS meetings. Award recipients are honored with a Chambliss medal and featured recognition on the AAS website, highlighting their contributions to astronomical research and scholarship.
Photos credit: L. Clifton Johnson