The Black Hole Image, Katie Bouman, Teamwork: How are These 3 Related?

April 10, 2019, was a historic day when the world finally got to see the first ever image of the black hole. The image showed a flaming yellow and black ring captured by eight telescopes, together called the Event Horizon Telescope. 

It’s been more than a week, I’m still in awe of this breakthrough moment and the woman behind this huge discovery - Katie Bouman. What’s interesting is that while reading about it, an article caught my attention that talked about who should actually be given credit for the black hole image. 

Different narratives are being circulated on the internet of whether she should get credit for the image single-handedly or not. Before jumping to conclusions, let’s first get to know her better:

Who is Katie Bouman? 

Katherine (Katie) Bouman, a 29-year old Harvard graduate, is an American computer scientist working in the field of imaging. She was a member of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team that captured the first image of a black hole. She has created history and is definitely the Woman Of The Hour for her contribution to the first ever image of the black hole.

But Recently...

A controversy stormed up when a bunch of netizens accused her of hogging all the limelight and solely taking all the credit for the image. 

Shutting down all the trolls and false allegations, Bouman wrote in her Facebook post, “The image shown today is the combination of images produced by multiple methods. No one algorithm or person made this image. It required the amazing talent of a team of scientists from around the globe and years of hard work to develop the instruments, data processing, imaging methods, and analysis techniques that were necessary to pull off this seemingly impossible feat.”

How Teamwork Got us the First Ever Image of the Black Hole

The black hole image project was a collaborative venture, maybe that’s why it was completed successfully even though it cost around $50 to $60 million. It involved cooperation among 20 countries with more than 200 scientists working on it. 

The scientists had to gather data from eight telescopes installed in different parts of the world in real-time. The data generated was so much that it had to be flown to data centers by jet. 

Another big concern was to get the perfect weather conditions at all locations to take pictures. Easy to say, difficult to implement. But with the right technological tools and gathered data, the team was able to develop images of the black hole.

So What’s the Lesson to be Learned?

The biggest takeaway is that teamwork is at the heart of every huge achievement. When a bunch of people comes together with a clear vision, nothing can stop them to achieve something they’ve set their eyes on, if the plan is executed the right way.  

Make the most of the advanced tech tools whether it’s to improve track time, manage projects, or boost productivity. 

Work together just like the team that created the black hole image. Use ProofHub to communicate, collaborate, and share meaningful information with remote members. 

Author Bio:

Vartika Kashyap is the Marketing Manager at ProofHub and has been one of the LinkedIn Top Voices in 2017 and 2018. Her articles are inspired by office situations and work-related events. She likes to write about productivity, team building, work culture, leadership, entrepreneurship among others and contributing to a better workplace is what makes her click.