About Me:
I am a second-year graduate student in Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst working with Grant Wilson on developing a robust method for counterpart identification using Bayesian Formalism. Counterpart identification (finding a particular source across multiple wavelength observations or surveys) is usually done spatially for detections made with high positional accuracy. For observations with poor positional accuracy (large beamsize), spatial matching is not enough. This is pertinent to current observations of Sub-Millimeter Galaxies, starbursting galaxies at high redshift with incredible star formation rates and dust properties. <\p>
My first year project under Daniela Calzetti looked at star formation in the extended ultraviolet disks of spiral galaxies. These outer disks have been observed to have a derth of Halpha emission as compared to their UV emission. We explored whether the age range of star forming regions was sufficient to explain this lack and/or whether it could be attributed to departures from the traditional Initial Mass Function.
If I had free time, I would spend it cooking fancy things or taking pictures of exotic locales (I'll get to Egypt someday!). Such as it is, I spend my time doing classwork, researching and teaching and all that's almost as good.
