Astrochemistry is the study of molecules in space, from their formation in molecular clouds of gas and dust in the interstellar medium to the evolution of chemical complexity alongside star and planet formation. Astrochemists use astronomical observations, laboratory experiments, and computational modeling to figure out what molecules are out there and the pathways by which they are connected. In the Wilkins Group at Dickinson, we study molecules in space via observations and experiments.
Dr. Olivia Harper Wilkins is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Dickinson and has been building her research program since Fall 2024. This website will be updated to share that journey. Students looking to help build the lab or get their hands on some radio telescope data should email Prof. Wilkins to introduce themselves and set up a time to chat about their research goals and interests.
Highlights
4 August 2025 – The lab’s NASA RIA proposal is selected!
Dr. Wilkins’s NASA ROSES (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences) Research Initiation Award (RIA) program was selected for the ROSES-24 cycle! The award will be used to fund equipment, research students, and conference travel for the lab.
2 June 2025 – Kylee Preller ’27 joins the group!
Kylee Preller is funded through Dickinson’s Student-Faculty Collaborative Research (SFR) program. She will be working on “High Resolution Imaging of Methanol Isotopologues in Orion KL” for eight weeks in Summer 2025!
19 May 2025 – Boriana Yotzova ’26 joins the group!
Boriana Yotzova is funded through an NRAO Student Observing Support (SOS) Award. She will be working on “High Resolution Imaging of Methanol Isotopologues in Orion KL” for eight weeks in Summer 2025!
12 May 2025 – Millia Martinez ’28 joins the group!
Millia Martinez is funded through Dickinson’s Student-Faculty Collaborative Research (SFR) program. She will be working on “Building a Cosmic Ice Experiment” for six weeks in Summer 2025!
17 April 2025 – Olivia Lyon and Grace Helton presented posters at Dickinson’s Annual Science Student Research Symposium
Olivia Lyon and Grace Helton presented their posters — “Building a Cosmic Ice Experiment” and “Methanol Isotopologues in Orion KL” — at Dickinson’s Annual Science Student Research Symposium.
5 April 2025 – Dr. Wilkins, Olivia Lyon, and Grace Helton presented at the Central PA Consortium (CPC) Astronomers’ Meeting
The Central PA Consortium (CPC) Astronomers’ Meeting was held on Dickinson’s campus. Dr. Wilkins and Olivia Lyon co-presented “Building a Cosmic Ice Experiment”, and Grace Helton presented her poster “Methanol Isotopologues in Orion KL”.
24 March 2025 – Dr. Wilkins presented at ACS Spring 2025
Dr. Wilkins gave an invited talk, “High Resolution Imaging of Methanol Isotopologues in Orion KL”, at the ACS Spring 2025 meeting. Her talk connected current work with students Grace Helton and Evelyn Pham to her PhD dissertation, for which she was awarded the Astrochemistry Subdivision’s Outstanding Dissertation Award (2024). Olivia Lyon also attended to present work from her Summer 2024 REU at UMich.
11 March 2025 – Dr. Wilkins gave a seminar about astrochemistry to ACS Western Carolinas
Dr. Wilkins visited the Western Carolinas Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS Western Carolinas) and gave a seminar about astrochemistry at their monthly meeting. The talk was held at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, NC.