As a scientist, I want to help people understand science, scientists, and also empower young generations that anybody can be a scientist.
Fostering Inclusive Learning through Teaching and Mentoring
I'm passionate about making science accessible. As a science mentor for NASA's Neurodiversity Network (N3), I've had the privilege of working with neurodiverse high school students during summer 2023 and 2024. My experience with N3 has taught me the importance of creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for all students.
Check out Owen’s presentation here!
Check out Braden’s presentation here!
Devin Sinn (Penn State University, Summer 2024 - current)
Devin is a Penn State undergraduate student conducting time-domain studies of AGN. He is spearheading the analysis of multi-year SDSS-RM and SDSS-V/ BHM-RM data to unveil quasar variability.
Undergraduate Researchers (Past and Present)
Yuanzhe Jiang (Penn State University, Summer 2023 - Fall 2023)
During his 6-month visit to Penn State, I mentored Yuanzhe Jiang, a visiting undergraduate student from Peking University. Yuanzhe led the development of complex light curve simulations to assess the impact of cadence on reverberation mapping observations. Our collaborative research resulted in a second-author publication (ApJ submitted). Yuanzhe is currently an intern at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Megan Sturm (University of Connecticut Spring 2019 - Spring 2021)
Served as primary research supervisor for undergraduate student Megan Sturm (now a PhD student at Montana State University) from 2019 to 2021. Megan led the development of custom data reduction pipelines for Hubble observations. Megan’s research led to a second-author publication (see here).
Empowering the Next Generation of Scientists
Throughout my career, I've been passionate about increasing women's representation in STEM. I've actively participated in outreach programs, workshops, and mentorship initiatives designed to inspire and empower young girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
SPARK (Supporting and Promoting Advanced Readiness in Kids) summer program, is designed for female students in 6th-9th grade with the goal of helping to bridge the gender gap in the STEM fields lead by University of Connecticut Engineering Diversity and Outreach (Summer 2018).
UConn Alumni got a behind-the-scenes look at the Physics Observatory, located on top of the Math-Science Building.
Guest a for Penn State astronomy summer workshop for high-school teachers (Summer 2024). See more details here.