Jedidah Isler: What Role Do Supermassive Black Holes Play In The Cosmos?

TED Radio Hour | Feb 9, 2018

Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode Peering Into Space.

About Jedidah Isler's TED Talk

Scientists believe at the center of every galaxy is a supermassive black hole. Jedidah Isler describes how gamma ray telescopes have expanded our knowledge of this mysterious aspect of space.

About Jedidah Isler

Jedidah Isler is an astrophysicist whose research focuses on hyperactive supermassive black holes, particularly the physics of blazar jets — one of the most powerful forms of particle acceleration in the universe.

She is currently a National Science Foundation Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at Vanderbilt University. In 2014, she became the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in Astrophysics from Yale.

Isler is also the creator and host of "Vanguard: Conversations with Women of Color in STEM," and is a major advocate of inclusive STEM education.

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