Education:
Bachelor of Science in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Rochester
PhD Candidate in Astronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Interests:
Supernovae, cosmology, machine learning, spectroscopy, science pipelines, big data
Outside of work:
In no particular order. I enjoy knitting, archery, music (playing and listening!), hanging out with my dog, boxing, tennis, and driving long distances.
Research
ML Applications for Spectroscopic Follow-up of LSST Discovered Transients
I am a third-year graduate student who is part of the LSST commissioning team and is working to prepare for the incoming plethora of data.
I am preparing a pipeline for selecting which transient events merit spectroscopic follow-up. Currently, only about 8% of transients are being followed up on due
to the expensive nature of taking spectroscopic data. As LSST will discover 10-100 times the number of transients while available spectroscopic time remains fixed,
this fraction will fall to less than 0.1%. Thus, it is imperative that we have a pipeline to determine what is most important to follow-up on.
I will be implementing the active learning pipeline: the Recommendation System for Spectroscopic Follow-up (RESSPECT).
I am working to deploy and validate RESSPECT on public alerts
from the Zwicky Transient Facility, the DECam Alliance for Transients, and the Young Supernova Experiment. The resulting pipeline will be well-prepared for LSST first
light when the algorithm’s performance will be tested on Rubin commissioning data and optimized for operations. Follow-up spectroscopy of
LSST discovered transients not only reveals the class and redshift but is also key to understanding the physics behind explosive time-domain phenomena such as supernovae,
kilonovae, and tidal disruption events.
Follow-up of Nearby Transients with the Young Supernova Experiment
Many surveys and much telescope time has been focused on obtaining a high-redshift sample of type Ia supernovae,
which are now more well sampled and better calibrated than the low-redshift sample.
The lacking low-redshift samples are responsible for uncertainties on our
cosmological constraints largely due to systematics when calibrating data from various heterogeneous
photometric systems. I analyze incoming transient supernova data to perform spectroscopic follow-up of young
and nearby supernovae using GMOS on Gemini North and South.
With LSST coming online in 2025, this will be crucial to mitigate uncertainties
by improving the low-redshift sample, lest the millions of supernovae LSST will observe will have marginal
impact on constraining cosmological parameters. YSE will replace these outdated legacy data with a large,
well calibrated sample of low-z type Ia supernovae
Community
Outreach:
Spooky Science Day (seen above!):
I organized over 10 STEM clubs at the University of Rochester to present "spooky" science demonstrations
for Rochester families around Halloween. We had over 200 participants each year.
Girl Scouts:
I organized events with local Rochester girl scout troups to aid them in achieving their space science badges.
Observatory Tour Guide:
I was a tour guide for the C.E.K. Mees Observatory at the University of Rochester.
Astronomy on Tap:
I organize Astronomy on Tap, public outreach talks, for Urbana-Champaign community members.
Girls' Astronomy Summer Camp:
I help organize and lead the Girls' Astronomy Summer Camp for high schoolers in the Urbana-Champaign area. This is a two
day camp that is fully sponsored by the UIUC Department of Astronomy. Throughout their time with us, the students
visit a planetarium, observe using the historic telescope on campus, and learn about astronomy and coding basics.
Equity & Inclusion:
At the University of Illinois, I was chair of the Society for Equity in Astronomy (SEA). During my tenure as chair, I organized
a mentoring program between the graduate students and undergraduate students which supported about 30 mentor/mentee pairs.
I held monthly Astronomy Culture Journal Clubs in which the members of the astronomy department at every level are encouraged to
join a discussion about a current cultural topic in astronomy and academia (eg. navigating academia with a disability and the environmental impact of astronomy).
We would host colloquium speakers for tea and bagels to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion among various institutions.
I was a research mentor for a student in the Illinois Developing Equity in Astrophysics Summer school (IDEAS).
I co-founded the Society of Women in Astronomy and Physics (SWAP) at the University of Rochester.
Teaching:
I have been a teaching assistant for seven classes
At the University of Illinois:
ASTR 310: Computing in Astronomy, Spring 2022
ASTR 350: The Big Bang, Black Holes, and the End of the Universe, Fall 2021
At the University of Rochester:
AST 104: Planets, Life and Civilizations, Spring 2021
AST 105: Introduction to the Milky Way Galaxy, Fall 2020
PHY 113P: General Physics I (Self Paced), Spring 2020
AST 111: The Solar System and its Origin, Fall 2019
AST 102: Relativity, Black Holes, and the Big Bang, Spring 2019
I received the Undergraduate Teaching Award from the University of Rochester.
