BY YAHYA KARIM

Exoplanets—planets orbiting stars outside our solar system—continue to reveal incredible diversity and challenge our understanding of planetary formation and survival. Some planets are just forming, such as those around the star V960 Mon. Here, astronomers using advanced telescopes observed clumps of gas being made into planet-like shapes, marking the early stages of planetary birth. This discovery provides a unique view into how giant planets come into existence.

Around the star PDS 70, researchers spotted something even rarer: sibling planets in the same orbit. One planet, roughly the size of Jupiter, orbits the star, while behind it there is a large cloud of gas and dust that may be forming into another planet. These “trojan planets” are rare and offer new information into planetary systems that form in close coordination.

Some exoplanets defy expectations. For example, the exoplanet LTT9779 b reflects an astonishing 80% of its star’s light, making it the most reflective planet ever discovered. It is extremely reflective nature comes from metallic clouds composed of glass, like silicates and titanate particles. What’s puzzling is how the planet still maintains its atmosphere, given its close proximity to its star. Similarly, the exoplanet Halla, which orbits a dying star in the red giant phase, should have been destroyed, but it still survives. This “zombie planet” suggests it may have formed after the star shrank or survived an unusual stellar event.

Extreme environments are also possible for exoplanets. GJ 1214b, located just forty light-years from earth, is covered in thick clouds of steam, hinting that it may have significant amounts of water. On the other hand, TRAPPIST-1b, which orbits a red dwarf star, has no atmosphere and reaches temperatures as high as 450°F, making it uninhabitable.

Even stranger, the exoplanet KELT-9b is hotter than some stars, with surface temperatures reaching 7,800°F. Its immense heat causes hydrogen molecules in its atmosphere to break apart. Meanwhile, WASP-121b, located about nine hundred light-years away, is stretched into a football shape due to the great gravitational pull from its nearby star.

These discoveries just show how different, bizarre, and mysterious exoplanets really are. Each planet shows its properties, and how it is unique. All this information will further help us understand how to develop our knowledge about space, and maybe even help us in our future journeys in space.

BY KHADIJA KARIM

Electronics are everywhere, and they help society run smoothly, but it is especially important for different things, like satellites. As research in electronics and photonics keeps developing, so does the need for more experts. The European Union sees these fields as needed, and the RADMEP Programme is helping to meet those expectations.

The Erasmus Mundus RADMEP (Radiation and its Effects on MicroElectronics and Photonics Technologies) Programme is giving opportunities for students from all over the world. Graduates of this international programme find it easier to get jobs, and the future looks bright for those who are trained in these important technologies.

In 2023, all the students who completed the RADMEP joint degree found jobs quickly, and the 18 students who graduated this autumn are also doing well. The programme is made to train experts in radiation, and how it affects electronics and photonics, which are the main technologies in many areas.

The RADMEP Programme instructs students about radiation and its effects on electronics and photonics. It is a joint degree, which means students that take this programme study at multiple different universities. The programme is owned by University Jean Monnet (UJM) in St. Etienne, France, along with the University of Jyväskylä (JYU) in Finland, the University of Montpellier in France, and KU Leuven in Belgium.

Students begin their journey of studying at JYU, where they learn about: electronics, nuclear physics, and programming. Afterward, they continue their studies in Belgium at KU Leuven. Then, depending on what they are most interested in, they study either in St. Etienne (for photonics), or Montpellier (for microelectronics).

One of the big benefits of the RADMEP programme is that students get to travel and study in different countries. They meet people from all over the world and gain new perspectives and experiences. Alla Marchenko, a recent graduate from JYU, said that although there were difficulties with cultural differences, students quickly learned to adapt and enjoyed making new international friends.

The final part of the programme is a master’s thesis, in which students can complete it either in a university lab or at an international company. For example, Hossameldin Elsayed, a student from the programme, wrote his thesis on the best glue for assembling lasers.

Graduates from the RADMEP Programme have excellent jobs. Many students opt to find work in Europe even if they come from outside of Europe. The demand for experts in electronics and photonics is high, and this programme gives students the skills they need to succeed in life.

The RADMEP Programme is still new, but with two classes already graduated, it’s clear that this is a pathway to exciting careers in cutting-edge technologies.

BY AMARI SUKHDEO

The time has come. It’s September 4^th, the first day of university. Only this time, I’m not entering the familiar halls of my high school, where the same faces I’ve grown up with greeted me each day. Before me now is the sprawling, 250-acre campus of the University of Toronto, known as the hardest school in Canada. I know I should feel excited—this is supposed to be the start of something new, an adventure into adulthood, and the pursuit of what I thought was my passion: forensics, but instead of excitement, all I feel is fear. Is this really what I’m meant to do?

The students rush from class to class, a stream of energy and focus, while I feel like I’m standing still. I’ve always loved the outdoors, the way nature flows freely, unconstrained. Yet here I am, suffocating under the weight of expectations. Is this what growing up means? Trading freedom for something that feels so foreign?

I walk into my first lecture: physics. The hall is enormous, with rows upon rows of students already settled in, faces buried in textbooks, or laptops, furiously taking notes. Physics is difficult, but what’s even harder is trying to care. I look around, wondering how everyone else seems so sure of themselves, so eager to grasp every concept, every equation the professor scribbles on the board.

It’s in a chemistry lecture that everything changes. I’m sitting there, half-listening, half-daydreaming, when suddenly, a wave of clarity hits me. We’re discussing molecular bonds, but I feel no connection. That’s when the realisation crashes over me, I’m in the wrong place. My passion for this major is nonexistent, and pretending otherwise is becoming unbearable. I’ve always felt most at home in art, in nature, in things that are organic and alive. I long for creativity, for spaces where I can breathe freely. I want to explore, to create, to nurture my own curiosity instead of forcing myself to conform to a path that feels wrong.

I start seeking out courses that call to me, anything that brings me closer to what I love. The urgency to switch paths grows. I can’t continue down this road any longer. The tension I felt during those early weeks fades, replaced by a growing sense of purpose. The decision to leave forensics behind isn’t easy, but I know it’s the only choice that feels right.

Finally, the paperwork is signed, the decision made. I’m leaving forensics behind, crossing over into a world where I feel truly alive. Arts and nature—they are my new path, the places where my curiosity thrives. It’s scary, stepping away from what I thought was a sure career, but it’s also exhilarating. As I walk across campus now, I no longer feel weighed down by doubt. I’ve crossed the boundary between who I thought I had to be and who I truly am. The fear has faded, replaced with a sense of freedom, of possibility. My journey is only just beginning, but for the first time, I know it’s the right one.