What year are you in?
I am in my third year.
What group are you in?
I work with Professor Klaus Honscheid on the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument.
Where are you from?
I am from Waterford Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
Describe your research in 200 words or fewer.
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is a large multi-object spectrograph capable of measuring the spectral lines of approximately 5,000 objects in the sky simultaneously. DESI is underway conducting a large survey of galaxies, using their spectral lines to measure their redshift. This allows us to create a 3D map of galaxies in the universe which we can use to trace the underlying matter distribution and look for features such as Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) to constrain cosmological parameters. I have worked extensively on the focal plane system and instrument control system to help our robotic fiber positioners reach their targets safely. As the survey is underway, I am transitioning towards working with the data and seeing how the galaxy catalogues produced can be improved.
What have you done in physics that you are most proud of?
I am proud to have worked with DESI’s fiber positioner robots for the last 5 years. It is not very glamorous, but it has been exciting to see them through their late development, production, and deployment. I look forward to the science they enable!
What have you done outside of physics that you are most proud of?
Most recently I am proud to have marched alongside my fellow Columbus residents this past summer in protest of police injustice. My lungs were raw, my feet blistered but I would do it again. It is everyone’s duty to speak out against injustice and work towards a better community.
What are your future goals?
In the future I would like to graduate get a postdoc position. In the long term I would be happy to work in a setting where my technical skills are valued and there are interesting problems to solve. I am open to working inside or outside of academia.