Can AI Truly Classify Stars?

The Project

SUMMARY Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries, and my project applies AI to classify celestial objects like stars, galaxies, and quasars. By refining model settings, I analyzed how data influences classification accuracy, uncovering AI’s strengths and limitations in astronomy. My work earned high recognition at the Flint Regional Science and Engineering Fair and was nominated for the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge, validating its impact on scientific research. INSPIRATION My fascination with space and technology began in kindergarten, sparked by NASA visits with my family, and grew into a deep passion over the years. Though I was too young to fully grasp it at first, that fire was rekindled during a 2024 spring break visit to NASA’s Houston Space Center, where I experienced a simulated shuttle launch and stood beneath the Saturn V rocket, cementing my desire to explore the cosmos and contribute to groundbreaking discoveries. Beyond space exploration, my passion for aviation and aerospace engineering grew when I had the rare opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a Bombardier CRJ550 jet, assisting pilots during flight and landing—an exhilarating experience that reinforced my commitment to aerospace technology. These transformative moments led me to my project, “Can AI Accurately Classify Stars?”, uniting my love for space and technology. With my curious mindset and hands-on STEM experiences, I am driven to push the boundaries of human knowledge. CHALLENGES Developing this project required dedication, persistence, and adaptability. A key hurdle was AI’s limited ability to classify only three star types, prompting me to explore modifications for broader applications. Understanding techniques like SMOTE (Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling Technique) and Confusion Matrix analysis was challenging but with my mentor’s guidance, I strengthened my technical skills. Balancing rigorous research with a demanding schedule was another obstacle. Keeping ‘A’ Honor Roll status while contributing as a key player on the Jefferson Middle School Basketball Team required careful time management and discipline. These challenges helped me develop resilience, problem-solving abilities, and skills necessary for success in science and engineering. IMPACT AI has the power to revolutionize space exploration, enabling breakthroughs that bring us closer to the stars. Through experimentation, I deepened my understanding of AI’s capabilities and optimization strategies. The results were exciting—my AI models achieved over 95% accuracy in classifying stars, confirming their potential in astronomy and astrophysics. This journey reinforced my dedication to advancing space technology. It has inspired me to dream boldly, pursue ambitious goals, and bring ideas to life. As I continue learning and innovating, I aim to contribute to advancements that redefine space exploration, unlock new frontiers, and expand humanity’s understanding of the universe.

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