Evolution of Radio Source Jets
Autumn 2010 - present
I am currently conducting PhD research at the University of Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory in the
Astrophysics Group. I work with
Dr Paul Alexander on the evolution of jets from powerful radio galaxies. This work is a combination of extending theoretical models of jet evolution (based on fluid dynamics and radio emission processes) to younger jets (with sizes less than a kpc); and statistically testing these theories against a sample of more than 800 radio galaxies.
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Dwarf Galaxy Photometry and Activity
Summer 2009 - Summer 2010
During my last year at the University of Oregon, I worked with
Dr James Schombert of the
UO physics department. I assisted in analyzing low surface brightness dwarf ellipticals from recent Kitt Peak data for their star formation activities and overall photometry.
Download:
Stellar Populations and the Star Formation Histories of LSB Galaxies - Part I: Optical and H-alpha Imaging (pdf)
In-situ Oxygen Production On the Moon
Summer 2008
The next summer I returned to Goddard, this time in the
GSFC propulsion division with
Dr Eric Cardiff. I specifically requested an engineering position so that I might make a fair decision on what type of work I liked best: research and theory or hands-on development. I had a fantastic time developing a method of in-situ production of oxygen on the moon, through lunar regolith pyrolysis. I emerged from a summer of vacuum chambers, thermocouples, zirconia crucibles, and mass spectrometers happy with the progress made and the new techniques I had learned. Two summers at Goddard proved to be a tremendous eye-opener, and I now wish for a job that combines the excitement of theory and investigation with practical engineering problems and the chance to get my hands dirty once in awhile!
Download:
The In-Situ Production of Oxygen Through the Vaporization of Lunar Regolith (pdf)
AGN Jets and Hotspots
Summer 2007
The summer after my freshman year, I was lucky enough to be accepted into the NASA Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology program (MUST), which provides academic scholarships and summer internships at the NASA centers. That year I choose to work at the
Goddard Space Flight Center with
Dr Demosthenes Kazanas on AGN and the jet structure of supermassive black holes.
Download:
The Statistics of Jets, Hotspots, and Lobes of FRII Radio Galaxies (pdf)