A STEM Leader Scans the Galaxies

Brandon Villalta Lopez (Nicaragua/Costa Rica, UWC Changshu China, Bates ’25) isn’t afraid to perform before an audience—or to examine mysteries of the universe. A double major in physics and neuroscience, he sings with a student a cappella group and has taken the stage in campus musicals and plays. He has also presented his scientific research at several national conferences.

A campus STEM leader, Brandon co-founded the Bates Society of Physics Students and the college Astronomy Club, and since 2023 he has led the Bates chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, or SACNAS. In January he presented a poster on his thesis work at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. 

“There is one shared skill set between arts and science that some people might be surprised by: performance,” he writes. “I don’t think I need to make the case for performance in arts, but as a scientist, there is a large number of hours we spend in front of people, talking about our work at conferences, making presentations for class projects … performing!”

In 2023, Brandon and Associate Professor Aleks Diamond-Stanic won Bates’s first Keny O’Brien Joint Adventures Award, for research they continue to do together on the evolution of galaxies.

“In particular,” Brandon writes, “we’re studying what is known as galactic winds or gas outflows, which are large amounts of gas ejected from the body of some galaxies. Our research looks into what makes these galaxies do that by observing the spectra from many, MANY galaxies. I’m working on an honors thesis that brings together these three years of work, and will hopefully make meaningful contributions to this field of study.”

This profile is part of the “Undergraduates in Action” series from the 2025 Annual Report.