GW PhD Student Plays Key Role in Gamma-Ray Burst Discovery

The recent discovery of a long gamma-ray burst (GRB) triggered by the collision of two neutron stars challenged the scientific consensus on the cause of that cosmic phenomenon. Brendan O’Connor, a sixth-year PhD student in the George Washington University Department of Physics, is among the scientists who observed this momentous event and interpreted its significance. O’Connor served as principal investigator (PI) of an International Gemini Observatory program that studied this unique explosion, known as GRB 211211A, and helped distinguish this particular event from other GRBs.