The Astrophysics Circle of Puerto Rico continues its 2026 seminar series, bringing together researchers, faculty, and students interested in astrophysics, radio science, and planetary science across the University of Puerto Rico system.

The series opened earlier this semester with a seminar by Dr. Rafael Rodríguez Solís, Director and Principal Investigator of the Center for Advanced Radio Sciences and Engineering (CARSE) at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. During his talk, Dr. Rodríguez Solís presented the latest advances in CARSE’s research and educational initiatives, highlighting work in microwave and millimeter-wave systems and their relevance to the development of radio sciences in Puerto Rico.

The second seminar featured Dr. Mayra E. Lebrón Santos (UPR–Río Piedras), who presented “Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) in Puerto Rico.” Her talk discussed the next-generation expansion of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and its significance for the future of radio astronomy research on the island.

More recently, the series welcomed Dr. Amilcar Torres, who delivered a presentation titled “Using Machine Learning to Predict Exoplanet Host Stars and the Elemental Abundances of Small Planets.” His talk explored how machine learning techniques can help identify potential stars hosting exoplanets and analyze planetary composition.

The seminar series will continue on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 11:00 AM AST, with a presentation by Dr. Desireé Cotto (University of Puerto Rico – Humacao) titled:

“Mediciones de Laboratorio sobre la Fragmentación de Asteroides.”

In this seminar, Dr. Cotto will discuss laboratory measurements and experimental approaches used to study the fragmentation of asteroids, contributing to our understanding of planetary formation processes and the evolution of small bodies in the solar system.

The seminar will take place in Room DMN 405, located at the Faculty of General Studies at the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras, and will also be available via Zoom.

Participants interested in joining remotely must register in advance.

🔗 Zoom Registration
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tuvbHtYUQReI7DGirDwNlQ

More information about past and upcoming seminars can be found at:
https://sites.google.com/upr.edu/seminarios-astroiupi/principal

The Astrophysics Circle seminar series continues to foster scientific exchange and collaboration among researchers and students interested in astrophysics and related disciplines across Puerto Rico.