One of those "comets" named to Forbes' 2023 30 Under 30 For Science list is Emma Xu, who graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a B.S. in Physics in 2015. While at UTD, Xu's research advisor pointed her towards a summer National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Georgia Tech. Xu credits that experience with helping her win an NSF graduate research fellowship. Xu is now the co-founder and CEO of her own science startup, and she is working on her Ph.D. at Columbia University.