Astronomy Education and Science Literacy
I started working in the Astronomy Education group at the University of Arizona in the second semester of my freshman year, continued work with a NASA Space Grant Internship as a sophomore, and am currently working with the group.
My first project assessed student learning through writing in an Astrobiology Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). For that project, I wrote example assignments using the writing rubric from the MOOC and found and read papers relating to MOOC science writing and assessing writing in MOOCs.
My second project was using Machine Learning and AI approaches to detect fake science online, where I found myself involved with many different aspects of the project. This project aims to create a neural network that recognizes real or fake science to help combat science misinformation. Within this project, I helped to create a training set by selecting articles, classifying them as real or fake science, and finding claims and supporting evidence within the articles.
After my sophomore year, my research advisor nominated me for a Galileo Circle Scholarship, which recognizes some of the University of Arizona's finest undergraduate and graduate students representing the tremendous breadth of academic and research interests within the College of Science. I am a two-time Galileo Circle Scholar both for 2022 and 2023.
Beginning in Spring 2023, I started working on an Honors Thesis project to examine how students demonstrate content knowledge compared to experts in a culminating writing assignment in an Astrobiology Massive Open Online Course. That project is currently in progress, so watch for the final thesis in May 2024!
I started working in the Astronomy Education group at the University of Arizona in the second semester of my freshman year, continued work with a NASA Space Grant Internship as a sophomore, and am currently working with the group.
My first project assessed student learning through writing in an Astrobiology Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). For that project, I wrote example assignments using the writing rubric from the MOOC and found and read papers relating to MOOC science writing and assessing writing in MOOCs.
My second project was using Machine Learning and AI approaches to detect fake science online, where I found myself involved with many different aspects of the project. This project aims to create a neural network that recognizes real or fake science to help combat science misinformation. Within this project, I helped to create a training set by selecting articles, classifying them as real or fake science, and finding claims and supporting evidence within the articles.
After my sophomore year, my research advisor nominated me for a Galileo Circle Scholarship, which recognizes some of the University of Arizona's finest undergraduate and graduate students representing the tremendous breadth of academic and research interests within the College of Science. I am a two-time Galileo Circle Scholar both for 2022 and 2023.
Beginning in Spring 2023, I started working on an Honors Thesis project to examine how students demonstrate content knowledge compared to experts in a culminating writing assignment in an Astrobiology Massive Open Online Course. That project is currently in progress, so watch for the final thesis in May 2024!
Exoplanets (2022 UNM Physics and Astronomy REU)
After my sophomore year, I participated in the Physics and Astronomy Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the University of New Mexico. My first traditional astrophysics research experience led me to the field of exoplanets. I looked at the links in composition between rocky exoplanets and their solar-type host stars. My project used spectra of host stars to obtain the abundances of different elements, which were compared to the abundances of elements within the core and mantle of the planets.
After my sophomore year, I participated in the Physics and Astronomy Research Experience for Undergraduates program at the University of New Mexico. My first traditional astrophysics research experience led me to the field of exoplanets. I looked at the links in composition between rocky exoplanets and their solar-type host stars. My project used spectra of host stars to obtain the abundances of different elements, which were compared to the abundances of elements within the core and mantle of the planets.
