Sean Lindsay
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| NASA GSRP Fellow |
| Entered: | 2006 |
| Office: | 121 Astronomy |
| Phone: | (575)646-2613 |
| Fax: | (575)646-1602 |
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| E-mail: | slindsa1 |
| (append "@nmsu.edu") |
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| B.S. | University of Tennessee, | 2005 |
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Research
My current research involves the analysis of comet dust grains in order to ascertain what resources were available in the protoplanetary disk of gas and dust out of which our planets formed. Comets essentially work as large freezers of the primordial materials that have remained unaltered since the time of planet formation. Through examination of what mineral species are in comets, and hence extant in the protoplanetary disk, we can gain insight to the conditions under which our solar system formed. More precisely, I hope to use magnesium-rich silicates as a probe for how materials were mixed within the gassy/dusty disk that became our solar system. Within comets, observations of crystalline forms of the Mg-rich silicates have been made. What is interesting about this, is that in order to create these crystals, temperatures near 1000 K are required. Comets, however, form in the outer reaches of the disk where temperatures are at or below 50 K. This provides evidence that these hot chemistry crystals have been transported radially outward in the disk, where they were incorporated into then forming comets. The precise method of transport is still unknown, and current models incorporate various proposed methods of radial mixing. My research will use a measured fraction of how many Mg-rich silicates are in a crystalline form to an amorphous form to better constrain the current models and provide a testing ground for the timescales and to what degree the protoplanetary disk was mixed. This will provide a more intimate understanding of how our own solar system formed, as well as furthering our knowledge of how planetary systems, in general, form.
I would like to thank NASA Ames Research Center and the NASA GSRP Fellowship for providing the funding for this project.
I have also worked with Dr. Jim Murphy on better understanding and extracting the modes of the thermal tides within the Martian atmosphere using both simulated data, Mars Global Survery Thermal Emission Spectrometer (MGS TES), and MGS Mars Horizon Sensor Assembly. This work has included running a global climate model for Mars's atmosphere that was developed at NASA Ames, as well as analysis of the data from the afore mentioned MGS instruments.
Previously, I worked with Dr. Nancy Chanover to analyze infrared spectra
of the planet Saturn taken with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, during
the summer of 2005. We extracted spectra based on longitudinal and
latitudinal positions across the planet, to examine the differences and
similarities in the chemical composition of the zones and belts.
Teaching
For two years, I was an Astronomy 105G: The Planets teaching assistant. Over those two years, I taught eight lab sections, and discovered that I am not only passionate about astronomy, but also about teaching. It is my hope that I will be given the opportunity to teach once again in the future.
Further, during the school year, I work as Science Tutor for Mayfield High School. My responsibilities here are to assist high school students in better understanding the fundamentals of Physical Science, Chemistry, and Physics.
I am also a volunteer for a local group called SCIAD (SCIence ADvisors), where I will participate in events such as astronomy talks in classrooms for all grades, work as a science fair judge, or assist teachers with the best way to teach certain scientific topics.
Awards
2008: Recipient of the NASA GSRP Fellowship.
