Astronomy Masters Student
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
I am a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I am currently studying Population III star formation and the role magnetized turbulence plays in this process. I have investigated quasar-host galaxy feedback and detecting gravitational waves through pulsar timing.
Stars composed exclusively of primordial hydrogen and helium may have populated the universe with heavy metals through their deaths. The structure of the turbulent and magnetized molecular clouds that formed these stars provides insight into the primordial stellar population.
The supermassive black hole and its surrounding region at the center of a galaxy emit more luminous radiation than the entire galaxy itself, even though it is ~100,000 times smaller than the galaxy. Despite the differing scales, the black hole and the galaxy maintain some form of coevolution, where a larger galaxy will host a larger black hole.
Some rapidly rotating neutron stars emit periodic radio pulses that can be used to detect low frequency gravitational waves. An array of various galactic pulsars functions as a galaxy-wide interferometer, detecting gravitational waves as they interfere with the arrival time of the radio pulses.
The Astronomy Department at UIUC values educational outreach within the community and therefore organizes several one-time and recurring events. Two of our largest events are Astronomy on Tap and the Girls' Astronomy Summer Camp.
The Society for Equity in Astronomy (SEA) strives to promote equity and inclusion locally in astronomy and related fields. In addition to general meetings, we host informal chats with visiting astronomy colloquium speakers on topics involving diversity in astronomy, organize a graduate-to-undergraduate mentoring program, host Astronomy Culture Journal Club, and coordinate general career development events for students at all levels.
The Hacker Within (THW) is a bi-weekly meeting of researchers teaching one another new tips and tricks to enhance their computational work flow. These informal meetings serve as an environment for peers of all levels to experience and share new topics useful for our scientific software development projects.
The Graduate
Employees' Organization (GEO) is a labor
union at UIUC that represents approximately 2,700
Graduate Employees and works to improve employee
rights and benefits at the University.
The Communications Committee communicates with
the membership and the public through both a
media and online presence to ensure that the union remains organized and strong.