Student Experience
Stories in the sky: UC Santa Cruz student connects cultural tradition through the stars
Piramon Kumnurdmanee amplifies inclusivity in astronomy, showcasing indigenous stories and practices on her self-produced website, Culture in the Cosmos.
Piramon Kumnurdmanee (Stevenson ’25, physics). Photo by Carolyn Lagattuta.
Key takeaways
- Piramon Kumnurdmanee (Stevenson ’25, physics) is a member of Earth Futures Institute’s (EFI) donor-funded program, Frontier Fellows, which awards stipends to undergraduate students pursuing research for the betterment of Earth’s future.
- With Frontier Fellows funding, Kumnurdmanee built a website showcasing astronomical records across cultural groups and was able to attend a conference in Thailand.
Piramon Kumnurdmanee always followed the stars.
Growing up in Thailand, the night sky served as both a guide and a source of connection; helping her navigate to her grandparents’ rice fields and bringing to life stories passed down through generations. That deep, early bond with the stars continues to shape her work today.
Now, as a fourth year physics student focusing on astrophysics at UCSC and member of Earth Futures Institute’s (EFI) donor-funded program—Frontier Fellows—Kumnurdmanee (Stevenson ’25) documents astronomical stories across cultures on her interactive website, Culture in the Cosmos.
“Culture in the Cosmos is a web based educational tool where users can choose their site of interest and click through a slideshow to explore how humans have been observing celestial bodies and can make connections to their culture,” Kumnurdmanee said.
Through her work with Frontier Fellows, Kumnurdmanee had the opportunity to connect with indigenous astronomers, learning about their practices and collaborating with them on how to showcase their practices on a public platform.
“That is something that I cannot experience in a typical classroom setting,” Kumnurdmanee said.
Piloted in spring 2022 by Astrophysics and Astronomy Professor Emerita Sandra Faber, the Frontier Fellows program funds undergraduate research for a full year, giving students a unique career-building experience. Frontier Fellows are awarded a summer training program stipend of $6,000 to pursue their research, made possible through the philanthropy of donors including the Helen & Will Webster Foundation, Walter Loewenstern, and the Future of Life Institute. For these students, a summer stipend allows them to focus fully on their research.
“The Frontier Fellows program empowers undergraduates to turn their academic passions into meaningful, world-expanding research,” Faber said. “Piramon exemplifies the program’s spirit with her project, Culture in the Cosmos, weaving together science and storytelling and bridging cultures through astronomy. She’s not only advancing her own education, but also creating tools that honor and share diverse ways of knowing the stars.”
In 2024, Kumnurdmanee used part of her stipend from Frontier Fellows to attend an education and outreach conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the Southeast Asia Planetarium. She gave a presentation on her website.
“That experience will prepare me for my future career,” Kumnurdmanee said. “It was my first time giving a presentation in a planetarium. I’m grateful to have taken that opportunity to go to a conference where there were many astronomers and people who are interested in astronomy education in the same room. I’m glad I got to build those connections.”
Kumnurdmanee emphasized that without the Frontier Fellows program, her project might not have happened. The program supports interdisciplinary work and allows students to choose multiple advisors from different departments. Kumnurdmanee worked with an astronomy professor and an education professor to create Culture in the Cosmos.
Kumnurdmanee will graduate from UCSC in June and has been accepted into Northwestern University’s astronomy Ph.D. program. She is excited to continue studying observational astronomy and using her website to communicate both her science and approach to inclusively in the field.
“I’m going to continue finding joy in observational astronomy while maintaining that care of community building,” Kumnurdmanee said. “My goal is to be an astronomer who always keeps community at the heart of scientific discovery.”
Check out the demo of the website and/or share your star story.