When Pierson Lipschultz was a kid living in the city, his parents would take him to various museums, including Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry, to get him out and about.

These trips sparked an interest in astronomy.

“I loved walking around the museums reading all of the crazy stories, and I especially remember watching some of the movies at Adler over and over again,” he said.

COD has given me the environment to grow as a leader, something I have always really wanted to work on.

Pierson Lipschultz

While traveling with his family in Wisconsin around the time of the annual Perseid meteor shower, he ran into a group of amateur astronomers, who invited his family to spend the night. This sparked an interest in astrophotography and visual observing.

Lipschultz decided to pursue astronomy as a career. Because he had a rough time in high school, spending most of his years at a therapeutic day school, he wanted to build a better transcript for college applications and decided to start at a community college. He toured College of DuPage and, even though it was out of district, decided immediately to enroll.

“It was well worth it,” he said. “COD was super affordable, all my teachers were amazing and my classes were really interesting. Additionally, it gave me the environment to grow as a leader, something I always really wanted to work on. With the experience of starting the Space Club, I learned about how leadership works, how nightmarish coordinating events is, and how we could show people some of the wonder of astronomy. I felt myself grow as a person and I made great friends who I’m sure I’ll keep in close contact with for the rest of my life. I had a lot of connections and opportunities present themselves, which will massively benefit my career as well.”

Lipschultz also was part of a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates at Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA).

“I worked with a mentor on their research project, which was about calculating the trajectories of black holes. It was a pretty awesome experience, and anyone interested in doing research should 100% go for it,” he said.

Now at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Lipschultz is majoring in astronomy and data science. His goal is to earn a Ph.D. and pursue a career in research.

“It’s something that I know I can dedicate my life to and always feel satisfied. I’m not sure if I will ever become a professor, but it’s something I have been considering,” he said.

Lipschultz is happy that he chose COD, which prepared him for an exciting career.

“Astronomy is an amazing topic, and you can learn so much about it,” he said. “It’s a super diverse field and no matter what you find interesting, there is always something for you. It really changes your perception of the world around you and what your place in all of it is. Give it a shot, and even if it ends up not being for you, your worldview will for sure be expanded. Also, don't be afraid of honors. My honors classes at COD were amazing, and you learn a massive amount.”

Learn more about the Earth Science program at College of DuPage