Special to: The Wausau Daily Herald

800 Scott Street, Wausau, WI 54403

715-842-2101 or 800-477-4838
By: Chelsea Gawlik
Email: gawlic05@uwosh.edu
Phone: (262)210-5973

DC Everest Grad Presents Research in Madison

(April 29, 2015)- Nicholas Grosskopf, a 2011 graduate of DC Everest High School, presented his
research, Observing Nebulosities: the Spectacular Cygnus Superbubble, at Posters on the
Rotunda in Madison on April 22.
Grosskopf is currently attending University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, majoring in physics with an
Astronomy minor. He hopes to pursue a career in astrophysics.
Starting research with his group members last summer, Grosskopf explained that their research
was designed to trace interstellar dust, supernova shock fronts, and stellar winds. Through their
research, the group also hoped to better understand star formation processes.
The group used telescopes to guide their research, but most of the images were taken with a
DSLR camera.
Grosskopf enjoyed the research process, but for him the most enjoyable part was the hands on
experience, and conducting research on his family farm this past summer.
As a child, Grosskopf was interested in astronomy. He has fond memories of listening to stories
from his grandfathers time in the Navy. Grosskopf said he used to sit with his grandfather in the
field and he would tell Grosskopf stories from his time at sea, and about different stars.

Grosskopf and his group members applied to present in Madison by sending an abstract of their
research to UW-Oshkosh, and their group was one of six research project selected to represent
UW-Oshkosh at Posters on the Rotunda.
The group has presented their research at six different forums in the last two weeks. Grosskopf
went to Madison with two other group members. He said his favorite part of presenting at
Madison was being able to see all the other presentations and answering questions of guests.