Faculty Spotlight: David Collins

David Collins is a professor in the Florida State University Department of Physics who studies astrophysics and star formation. After earning his bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and physics in 2001 from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, Collins earned his doctorate physics in 2009 from the University of California San Diego. Before coming to FSU in 2013, Collins worked as a postdoctoral scholar for UC San Diego and then the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico studying star formation. At FSU, he’s part of public science outreach via “Ask a Scientist,” an event where scientists are available to answer questions from attendees at Tallahassee’s First Friday events.

Tell me a little about your background, where you’re from and what brought you to FSU.

I started college as a music major and then decided to pursue engineering instead. When I was studying engineering, I found the physics classes I took to be very interesting and wanted to pursue higher education in the topic. I then went to UCSD for a doctorate in physics, where I studied the formation of stars. Following my doctorate degree, I stayed at UC San Diego as a postdoctoral scholar to research the physics of turbulent flows, or the irregular flow of a liquid or gas. Now, at FSU, I get to think about outer space all day.

Can you break down your areas of research for us?

I study the formation of stars through computer models and experiments alongside studying magnetized turbulence, or irregular flow patterns caused by charged particles like plasma interacting with magnetic fields. Magnetized turbulence occurs during star formation and affects the characteristics of a star. Star-forming gas clouds in outer space have strong magnetic fields that interact with the charged particles inside the cloud, which influences the formation speed and fragmentation of stars.

What makes you passionate about astrophysics?

The little knowledge we have about outer space drew me to explore the topic. I enjoy thinking about the problems for which people don’t yet have answers. I also enjoy working with large computers, like supercomputers, which are required to model and process astrophysical phenomena.

Tell me about your involvement with Ask a Scientist.

I currently run the in-person Ask a Scientist events, which were started by Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Cottrell Family Associate Professor Kenneth Hanson, at Railroad Square in Tallahassee. We set up a booth and myself and other scientists from FSU and surrounding local universities make ourselves available to the public – they can approach us with scientific questions and engage in discussion. My favorite part of the event is the questions the little kids ask. They’re always so curious and ask whatever comes to their mind –– it’s great.

During the pandemic, Hanson transitioned the event to a virtual format on streaming platform Twitch, where he and a visiting scientist play classic arcade games and take questions from the stream. Ask a Scientist Gaming remains active on Twitch and I handle the in-person activities.

What do you want the public to know about the importance of your research?

The work I do sheds light on one of the biggest questions that dominates the human experience: where did we come from? Studying the formation of stars can help us answer this question. My work also has direct applications in the study of fluid dynamics and how air flows around supersonic aircraft.

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part is getting to problem-solve through my research. Physics is a fun topic, but it can be intimidating and overwhelming. I like helping people get comfortable with the subject. I also love combining storytelling and science to help people fully understand physics and science in general.

What is your best memory from teaching at FSU?

I enjoy teaching upper-division physics classes, specifically a course called Extragalactic Astronomy, which is one of the first-upper division classes physics students take. It’s super fun to teach –– the class is about galaxies, dark matter and black holes.

Who are your role models? Are there certain people who have influenced you most in your life and career?

One of my mentors was Michael Norman, my graduate adviser at UC San Diego and former director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center. He was one of the people that started computational astronomy as a field in the 1980s.

I also look up to other students Norman mentored, my academic siblings, including Columbia University professor of astronomy Greg Bryan, Stanford University physics professor Tom Abel, Michigan State University computational and theoretical astrophysicist Brian O’Shea, and Princeton University senior professional specialist Jim Bosch. These scientists have a great understanding of how to work with computers to produce results and data that help answer research questions.

What exciting upcoming projects or goals you are working toward?

I’m currently trying to get my first experimental physics campaign off the ground. During star formation, it’s assumed that the density of the gas cloud increases as the velocity of turbulence increases, but nobody has done an experiment to prove it. I’m working with Department of Mechanical Engineering research faculty Jonas Gustavsson and department chair Rajan Kumar from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering to study turbulence in supersonic wind tunnels and prove this relationship.

I’m also working on another project with the world’s largest laser at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California. For this project, we’re shocking a small piece of plastic with a laser the size of a 10-story building to measure how supersonic shockwaves affect density.

If your students only learned one thing from you (of course, hopefully they learn much more than that), what would you hope it to be?

I hope my students read every problem carefully to fully understand the question before answering. Sometimes, small details in a question completely change the character of the answer. It’s important to ensure everything in the problem is set up correctly and that you really understand what you are being asked.