---
title: Physics, Purpose and the Cosmos
description: Sharanya Palit, BA ’25, was selected to present her exoplanet research at the Texas Capitol during Undergraduate Research Day, earning the TXAPS Presentation Award.
---

[President’s Report ](https://blog.udallas.edu/presidents-report)

# [Physics, Purpose and the Cosmos](https://blog.udallas.edu/presidents-report/physics-purpose-and-the-cosmos)

 Written by [UD Relations](https://blog.udallas.edu/presidents-report/author/ud-relations) | Oct 22, 2025 6:28:07 PM

**Sharanya Palit**, BS ’25, was selected to present her exoplanet research at the Texas Capitol during Undergraduate Research Day, earning the TXAPS Presentation Award. Guided by physics professor **Dr. Richard Olenick**, her work identified 24 potential exoplanets — some possibly habitable, others showing signs of orbital decay. Thanks to UDallas’ [Core Curriculum](https://udallas.edu/academics/core-curriculum/index.php), Palit approaches science not just as data collection, but as a human search for meaning. She began her astrophysics master’s at Brown University this fall.

 

*“UDallas taught me that science is part of a bigger conversation about truth, beauty and the human desire.”*

**SHARANYA PALIT**

 

 

 

 

 

 

[View full post](https://blog.udallas.edu/presidents-report/physics-purpose-and-the-cosmos)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "UD Relations"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-11-18T20:47:05.080Z",
  "datePublished" : "2025-10-22T18:28:07Z",
  "headline" : "Physics, Purpose and the Cosmos",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 5464,
    "url" : "https://20518287.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20518287/UDGrad25186.jpg",
    "width" : 8192
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.udallas.edu/presidents-report/physics-purpose-and-the-cosmos",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "President’s Report"
  }
}
```