Elatia Zaffke
Elatia Zaffke is a navy veteran. She served in the navy for seven years as a sonar technician. Then she was operating the equipment — now she is studying the science that can explain how the very universe itself formed.
She is studying astrophysics at St. Cloud State University. She will graduate in spring 2021 with plans to pursue a graduate degree in the field.
Currently, Zaffke is working with Dr. John Sinko on a research project to examine the effects on the interstellar medium — space — of a shockwave from a supernova — the explosion of a star.
“Space isn’t a perfect vacuum. There’s dust— atoms and molecules. When a star goes supernova it explodes and generate shock waves that have been determined to start the fusion process for the heavier elements, which allows for planetary formation,” Zaffke said.
What they’re doing in their research is trying to figure out how that works. To do that, they built an apparatus that they place inside a vacuum chamber. Then they’ll create plasma, add dust to the chamber and detonate the plasma to see what affect the detonation has on the dust.
“It’s giving me hands-on experience and teaching me how to navigate a research project,” she said.
Zaffke joined the navy in 2008 and was stationed for five years in Japan before ending her active services. When she enlisted she did so to earn her education benefits to pursue a goal of becoming a veterinarian.
After suffering a shoulder injury while serving, Zaffke realized she wouldn’t be able to physically work with animals, so her interests turned toward another childhood interest — space.
Zaffke started her college career at Anoka-Ramsey Community College doing generals and introductory physics classes before transferring to St. Cloud State.
With the GI bill, veterans don’t need to worry as much about the cost, they can choose the school that’s right for them. Zaffke chose St. Cloud State because the faculty were knowledgeable about what was happening in the department, energetic and passionate.
Elatia Zaffke and Dr. John Sinko built an apparatus to go inside a vacuum chamber to test the effects that shock waves from supernovas have on the interstellar medium.
Chair Dr. Chris Kavaal and Dr. Elisha Polomski talked to her as a prospective student about opportunities in the department and showed her around Wick Science Building and the Integrated Science Engineering Laboratory Facility (ISELF).
Zaffke was saddened when Polomski, an astrophysicist, left for another university shortly after, but she’s stayed connected to Polomski’s work through her research project with Sinko because it’s a project Polomski started.
She’s also pressed for the university to hire another astrophysicist ever since. Physics is a discipline split into many areas of focus and astrophysics is one of the most popular focuses at St. Cloud State.
Pushing for what she needs is something Zaffke is used to as a veteran and as a student.
The GI bill is confusing and it sometimes takes persistence to get the answers you need because the Veterans Administration and the university have many people they need to help and navigating benefits can be challenging. While everyone does their best, an individual can get lost in the crowd, she said.
“They’re only going to push as hard as you do, so I’ve made a point to meet with them face-to-face,” she added.
People both within the VA and on campus have been helpful in navigating a complicated system.
Now Zaffke is one of the people helping new student veterans navigate. As a student worker funded by VA work-study program, Zaffke works in the Veterans Resource Center giving tours to prospective students and answering questions about the VA benefits application, registering for classes and how to do the FAFSA. She also points them to the people within the VA and on campus who can answer more complicated questions because she’s been there before.
“I’ve even had people calling from their duty stations overseas asking questions for two years in advance who are planning to finish their service and come here,” she said.
She is also a vice president of the Student Veteran Organization and involved with the Physics and Astronomy Club. She is currently researching summer research opportunities, called an REU, that will prepare her for a graduate physics program.
The research she’s doing now will help her prepare for that experience. And it’s gaining her recognition within the department. Sinko nominated Zaffke for an Undergraduate Scholars award for her efforts on their project.
Elatia Zaffke and Dr. John Sinko are testing different types of gases in the vacuum chamber.
She has been selected to present on her research at the Minnesota Conference of Undergraduate and Scholarly Activity March 30 at St. Cloud State and selected to apply for participation at the National Council of Undergraduate Research Conference March 25-28 at Montana State University in Bozeman.
Zaffke spent the summer working on the project and helped host an Education USA participant from Iceland. She and Sinko involved the student in their research, getting her working on machining and assembling. Zaffke has kept in touch with the student updating her on their progress.
Mentoring others and spreading a love for physics is another passion of Zaffke, who wants to show others what physics can do.
“High schools do physics wrong,” she said, adding that often a teacher will show students a big long equation and say if they study physics they’ll learn how to solve it. That scares people who thin, they couldn’t do the math.
“If you show them two binary stars orbiting each other or simulations on supernovas, that’s interesting,” she said. “Anybody can do physics — they have to want to.”
