SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Jaylon Lockett of Missouri City, a sophomore physics major at Angelo State University, has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship for the 2023-24 academic year.

Lockett was awarded the scholarship through the TEAM-UP Together Scholarship Program (TUTSP) which is administered by the National Society of Physics Students. It was launched in 2022 to aid Black and African American students who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in physics and astronomy – and who show financial need.

According to ASU, fewer than 50 first-time TEAM-UP Together Scholarships have been awarded each year nationwide, and Lockett is the first ASU student to receive the scholarship award. He will be eligible to apply for scholarship renewal each year.

“Jaylon has been an excellent student in my classes, and has done great work on research with me,” said Dr. Kenneth Carrell, associate professor of physics. “I am very happy that TEAM-UP Together has awarded him this scholarship to help make his time here at ASU financially easier, and to make his future goals more attainable.”

Lockett has worked with Carrell on a research project on variable stars titled “Transient Changes in TESS Lightcurves of RR Lyrae,” which was funded by the National Science Foundation. They presented their research at the national meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle in January, and then Lockett presented his research poster at the annual meeting of the Texas Academy of Science hosted on the ASU campus in March.

Currently, Lockett is working with Carrell on a research project dealing with stellar populations in globular clusters of the Milky Way that is funded by a grant from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Faculty and Student Team initiative. He is also a member of the ASU chapter of the Society of Physics Students and a regular on the ASU Dean’s List.

Lockett’s passion for science began in the eighth grade according to his biography on the Team Up Together website.

“The pursuit of discovery is where that passion burns the brightest,” said Lockett.”Most of all, learning how systems and the universe work scratches this itch about what I want to understand”

In the future Lockett hopes to work for organizations such as Space X, NASA, or any other group pioneering change in space explorations and physics.

“Being recognized for my passion and work ethic shows me I’m on the path to success. Not only does it take financial burden off me, but it also gives me more exposure and opportunity,” said Lockett. “I chose this career for a reason – even if I start out making $20,000/year it wouldn’t matter to me, because I love the science of physics and astronomy and will be more content and happy doing something that I care about.”