Research Experience

Center of Astronomy and Space Sciences - University of California, San Diego

(2015 - 2018) Paid research position measuring the mass of dust created by the supernova remnant E0102, located in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Project uses the programming language python to focus on background removal and fitting data to a modified black body model. Presented preliminary findings at UC San Diego’s Undergraduate Research Conference. Current weekly meeting with advisor, Dr. Karin Sandstrom. Paper in progress.

Dunlap Summer Institute - University of Toronto, Canada

(2017) Week long training in astronomical instrumentation at the Dunlap institute. Lectures and labs included work in interferometry, adaptive optics including wave-front sensors, x-ray imaging, and optics.

National Radio Astronomy Observatory - Green Bank

(2016) Summer REU program studying the evolution of massive young stellar objects using weak class II methanol maser emission at 6.7 GHz under Dr. Nichol Cunningham. Reduced raw data from the ATCA radio telescope in Australia using MIRIAD, CASA and python. Co-authored a follow up proposal and presented a poster at the 229 AAS meeting with funding from NRAO and UCSD.

Pathway to Physics - University of California, Riverside

(2014) "Higgs hunting at the Large Hadron Collider" Collaborating with 7 students to develop data analysis skills to identify the decay signatures for Z boson, W boson, and Higgs boson particles. Reconstructed the masses of the decay candidates and searched for signals of new particles using data provided by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN's accelerator complex using HYPATIA. Presented a poster to the UCR physics department.

Volunteer Experience

Undergraduate Women in Physics - University of California, San Diego

(2016) Assisted with the CUWIP physics conference at UC, San Diego, the beach bonfire programs, transfer student panel, and the annual physics department ice cream social.

The Physics Girl - Birch Aquarium

(2015) Worked under YouTube star “The Physics Girl” in her Beach Physics program. Spent the night in an aquarium as a group leader for middle school girls interested in learning about physics.

The Sierra Club (Temecula Chapter)

(2015) Gave a lecture to environmental group, The Sierra Club, on methods of observational astronomy, the cultural history of space exploration, The Planetary Society, and the relation between space science and environmentalism.

Reuben H Fleet Science Center and Sidewalk for Astronomers

(2014) Gave a lecture on ‘Intro to Astronomy’ to a group of families at the San Marcos Public Library. Worked in conjunction with the San Diego Astronomy Association and the Reuben H Fleet Center’s Sidewalk for Astronomers program to assist families in viewing the sky through amateur telescopes.

Awards

Physical Sciences Dean's Undergraduate Award for Excellence – University of California San Diego

2017 - 2018 award recipient for undergraduate excellence in academics and fundamental research. Award is given to 31 out of 4,000 students in the physical sciences including Chemistry, Biochemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Includes financial award and award ceremony.

Physics Chair’s Challenge Award – University of California San Diego

Three-time award recipient for funding to attend the American Astronomical Society January 2017 meeting, the Dunlap Summer Institute Astronomical Instrumentation July 2017 training, and the American Astronomical Society January 2018 meeting.

National Radio Astronomy Observatory Travel Award

Received NSF funding through the NRAO to travel to the American Astronomical Society January 2017 meeting.

Culture and Technology Public Speaking Award - University of California San Diego

Competitive award received for lightning talk on observational astronomy methodology to a non-scientific audience.

Skills

• Python
• Mathematica
• C++
• Linux
• Miriad
• CASA