If modifications of Einstein’s general relativity do exist in nature, could they leave observable imprints in astrophysical systems and in gravitational wave observations? Hector Silva, a postdoctoral research associate with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Physics discusses his observations specifically as it relates to black holes and neutron stars. A native of Brazil with a PhD from the University of Mississippi, Silva earned the Gravitational Wave International Committee-Braccini Thesis Prize for his thesis “Compact Objects in Relatavistic Theories of Gravity."