Dr. Kei Ito, who earned a Ph.D. from SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies) in March 2022, received the 8th SOKENDAI Award for his Ph.D. thesis "Star Formation Activity of Galaxies and its Relationship to Environment in the Distant Universe" based on research using the Subaru Telescope. A part of this research is also summarized in the "Science Results" of Subaru Telescope on May 26, 2022.
Dr. Kei Ito with the SOKENDAI award plaque at the main gate of NAOJ Mitaka Campus. (Credit: SOKENDAI)
It is known that galaxies evolve by generating new stars. Later, they stop making stars and their growth ceases. Such star formation activity depends on the galactic "environment," where the galaxies live in the large-scale structure of the local Universe. On the other hand, we have not known if this holds true
in the distant Universe, representing the history of the Universe. In his Ph.D. thesis, Dr. Ito reports on observational studies of distant galaxies utilizing the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) and the multi-wavelength Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). This thesis aims to understand when star formation activity began to be affected by the environment and why the star formation activity stopped. One of the research projects, which reports X-ray and radio observations of dying galaxies, is summarized in the "Science Results" of the Subaru Telescope on May 26, 2022.
Dr. Ito (currently a JSPS postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tokyo) says, "It is my honor to receive the SOKENDAI award this time. I feel this is due largely to the guidance of my supervisors, as well as the support from SOKENDAI/NAOJ and my collaborators. My life at SOKENDAI was fulfilling, as I was able to conduct research using the Subaru Telescope and other state-of-the-art telescopes at NAOJ, a major center for astronomical research in Japan. I will continue to devote myself to research as a researcher who graduated from SOKENDAI/NAOJ and a prize-winner of the SOKENDAI award."
SOKENDAI is a graduate university hosted by research institutions, including NAOJ. Graduate students work on doctoral research with first-class researchers at state-of-the-art sites. The SOKENDAI Award was founded to commend students who have accomplished outstanding research and have been conferred their degrees with excellent doctoral theses.
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