LVAS August 2025 Monthly Meeting

Following last year’s September meeting, I was delighted to be invited back by Mig Ponce (President of LVAS) and Keith Caceres (LVAS Event Director) to give an invited talk at the Dale Etheridge Planetarium, College of Southern Nevada, for the Las Vegas Astronomical Society’s August Monthly Meeting.

My presentation, “Astrophysical Implications of Next-Generation Gravitational-Wave Observations,” explored how instruments like Cosmic Explorer and Einstein Telescope will expand our view of compact object mergers across cosmic history—revealing new populations of black holes and neutron stars, and transforming our understanding of the dynamic, multi-messenger universe.

Dale Etheridge Planetarium at the College of Southern Nevada

After sharing key insights on the astrophysical implications of next-generation Gravitational-Wave detectors, here’s a brief highlight from my presentation. In this 2-minute clip, I introduce my Gravitational Waveform Accuracy Project—a cosmic puzzle exploring how subtle distortions in waveforms can affect our understanding of merging black holes and neutron stars.

Full Recording (Zoom)

A recording of the full presentation is available below:

Video Description:
Recorded via Zoom during the Las Vegas Astronomical Society August 2025 Monthly Meeting, this talk features Rachel Langgin, Ph.D. student at UNLV, presenting “Astrophysical Implications of Next-Generation Gravitational-Wave Observations.”

Topics include next-generation detectors (Cosmic Explorer, Einstein Telescope, LISA), multi-messenger Gravitational-Wave astronomy, and early-warning detection research.

It was a pleasure reconnecting with familiar LVAS members and meeting new faces passionate about high-energy astrophysics and Gravitational-Wave science. The evening included lively discussion about the challenges of next-generation detector design, population modeling, and how Gravitational-Wave astronomy intersects with traditional observation methods to enable multi-messenger astrophysics.

Toward the end of the event, I had the opportunity to speak with a prospective astronomy student and her mother about studying astrophysics at UNLV and pursuing careers in gravitational-wave research—one of the most rewarding moments of the night.

Engaging with the local astronomy community remains one of the most rewarding parts of my research journey—I’m deeply grateful for LVAS’s continued enthusiasm and support for Gravitational-Wave science in Las Vegas.