Teaching Experience
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Lecturer, ASTRO 102, University of Michigan, Su 2015 & Su 2017, median teaching evaluation: 4.83 & 5 out of 5
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Lecturer, ASTRO 101, University of Michigan, Sp 2017, median teaching evaluation: 4.82 out of 5
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Teaching Assistant, ASTR102, ASTR150, ASTR101, University of Washington, 8 quarters, 2006 – 2009 (nominated for UW Distinguished Teaching Award, Spring 2008)
Sample Teaching Resources
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Syllabus from ASTRO 102, Su 2017
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Research Project Description and Grading Rubric from ASTRO 102, Su 2017
Mentoring Experience
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Preet Patel (2016–present)
Preet is an undergraduate Blue Waters Fellowship recipient working to understand the origins of chemical trends in LMC mass simulated galaxies. Preet is in the final stages of writing up a paper to be submitted to ApJ analyzing high resolution simulations from the FIRE collaboration. Preet has also worked with me previously to assemble resources about astronomy for the sight impaired projects worldwide.
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Meghin Spencer (2010–2014)
As an undergraduate and then graduate student, Meghin worked to spectroscopically confirm/reject satellite galaxy candidates found close to NGC 4258. NGC 4258 (also known as M106) is a nearby isolated Milky Way-like galaxy which Meghin found to have a significant population of blue star-forming satellite galaxies (similar to results have been found by the slightly more distant SAGA survey). Meghin used the satellite galaxy catalog she assembled to constrain the total mass of NGC 4258 via Jeans equation analysis. Meghin's published results can be found here.
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Gordon Zhang (2013–2014)
Gordon spent a year working with me as a UROP student with me at University of Michigan, building python tools to research the origin & evolution of stellar halos in MAGICC simulations.
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Margaret Wilson (w/ Ana Larson) (2012–2013)
Meg developed stellar evolution curriculum for the sight impaired. She demonstrated curriculum at Theodore Jacobsen Observatory public outreach event.
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Natalie Ramien (w/ Ana Larson) (2010–2012)
Natalie developed extensive astronomy curriculum & website for the sight impaired.
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Natalie Ramien (Summer 2010)
Investigated the origin of the Milky Way’s dual halo using simulations.
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Devon McMinn & Andy Barr (w/ Jake Vanderplas) (2008–2009)
Devon and Andy used Local Linear Embedding (LLE) to process astronomical data. This work started as a Pre-MAP research project and was subsequently presented at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium.