Teaching
I am a Teaching Assistant for ASTR 105G, The Planets. This is an introductory Astronomy course that focuses on our Solar System and the techniques and physics that make studying it possible.
Research -- Ongoing Projects
I am pleased to acknowledge support from a Consortium for Higher Education (HED) grant for women in the sciences and from a New Mexico Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowship.
Halo Gas Velocities of NGC 4244 and NGC 891: Measured velocities of H-alpha halo gas as a function of height above the plane in edge-on galaxies. Aided in the implementation of a multi-slit spectroscopic setup for the project on the 3.5m telescope at Apache Point Observatory, NM, which allows for simultaneous observations of H-alpha emission at several different radii. A narrow band filter prevents overlapping of spectra from neighboring slits. This is an ongoing project, and optical observations will be augmented by radio and UV data to characterize galaxy halos. The goal of this project is to determine to what extent halo rotation is coupled to disk rotation, which has implications for infall or outflow as the origin of the halos. Preliminary results were presented in a poster at a Disk-Halo conference in Portugal, August 2008. (Advisor: R. Walterbos, New Mexico State University, 2007-present)
Spectroscopic and Photometric Observations of IV Cep 1971: Reduced spectroscopic data and performed photometric observations with the 2.0m Himalayan Chandra Telescope at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, India, of IV Cep 1971, a quiescent nova. Determined a possible period of ~5.1 hours for the system from our observations. This is an ongoing project. Analysis of the spectroscopic data and comparison to previous photometric observations are still being performed. The goal of this project is to determine the spectral types of the primary and secondary stars in this system and to determine a period of the system that is consistent with observations dating back 20 years. Presented my project in a talk at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, India, August 2008. (Advisor: U.S. Kamath, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, India, 2008)
Research -- Previous Projects
Mass Loss in High Latitude OH/IR Stars: Simulated detached, expanding dust shells around an AGB star using the public domain radiative transfer code DUSTY. Experimented with mass loss rates and durations in an effort to reproduce the MIR color range observed in OH/IR stars with galactice latitudes greater than 10 degrees. Determined that a mass loss rate of ~3.5E-5 solar masses per year for durations between ~20 and ~200 years best matches observations. Presented my results in a poster at AAS, January 2008. (Advisor: B.M. Lewis, Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, 2007)
Martian Wind Speeds: Analyzed temperature data from the Mars Pathfinder mission. Calibrated temperature measurements to determine surficial wind speeds from lack of heating in temperature sensor wires (stronger winds cause less heating). Calculated preliminary wind speeds. (Advisor: J. Murphy, New Mexico State University, New Mexico, 2005-2007)
Opposition Effect on Saturn's Moons: Wrote an IRAF script to reduce (subtract the overscan, dark subtract, and flatfield) images obtained from the Apache Point Observatory 1.0-meter telescope, display each image and prompt the user to identify an alignment star (if the image is good) or discard the image (if the image is bad), and shift and add all good images from the same night and same field. Images are ready for photometry, with a final goal of extracting a light curve for several of Saturn's moons. (Advisor: J. Holtzman, New Mexico State University, New Mexico, 2006)
Simulation of a Protoplanetary Disk: Using Fortran, simulated the evolution of a planet-containing dust disk around a solar-like T Tauri Star. Wrote IDL programs to create morphological models of and extract light curves from the computer-generated system. Experimented with various initial conditions and tested realistic constraints on the models in a fairly successful attempt to match the data with actual observations of KH 15D, a (then) recently discovered star system that exhibited unprecedented flat-bottomed eclipses hypothesized to arise from the presence of a circumstellar disk. Presented the research process and results in an honors senior thesis project. (Advisor: K. Johnston, Wesleyan University, Connecticut, 2002-2003)
T Tauri Star Rotation Rates: Analyzed data from the most current observing season using Fortran, IDL, and IRAF. Produced light curves and determined plausible rotation periods for variable T Tauri stars, most of which had never been studied or had not yet been found to be periodic. Organized the results in a short paper and compared the findings to data from the previous (and first) observing season. (Advisor: W. Herbst, Wesleyan University, Connecticut, 2002)
ZeroG Test of the Space Station Fire Extinguisher: Designed and built an experiment, as part of Wesleyan University's Zero Gravity team, that tested the safety of fire extinguishers on the International Space Station. The experiment was performed by the team in micro gravity aboard NASA's astronaut-training aircraft at Johnson Space Center as part of NASA's Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program. Flew as an alternate with Arizona State University. Spoke about the program and Wesleyan's experiment at three grade schools, two Wesleyan University colloquiums, and a science seminar for high school students. Organized an exhibit and talked to visitors at the Science Center of Connecticut museum. Edited a video with footage provided by NASA for the talks and exhibit. (Advisor: F. Ellis, Wesleyan University, Connecticut, 1999-2001)
Meetings
24th Annual New Mexico Symposium. Socorro, NM. October 2008.
Poster: Halo Gas Velocities of NGC 4244 and NGC 891 Using Multi-Long-Slit Spectroscopy.
Cat Wu, Rene Walterbos, Jiehae Choi, Rich Rand
The Role of Disk-Halo Interaction in Galaxy Evolution: Outflow vs Infall. Espinho, Portugal. August 2008.
Poster: Halo Gas Velocities of NGC 4244 and NGC 891 Using Multi-Long-Slit Spectroscopy.
Cat Wu, Rene Walterbos, Jiehae Choi, Rich Rand
211th AAS. Austin, TX. January 2008.
Poster: Duration of Mass Loss and Mass Loss Rates in High Latitude OH/IR Stars.
Cat Wu, B. Murray Lewis
Poster: Multi-Long-Slit Spectroscopy for Kinematic Studies. II. Initial Results for Edge-on Galaxies NGC 891 and NGC 4244.
Jiehae Choi, Sophia Cisneros, Cat Wu, Maria Patterson, Rene Walterbos
Poster: Multi-Long-Slit Spectroscopy for Kinematic Studies. I. Implementation and Demonstration.
Rene Walterbos, Jiehae Choi, Sophia Cisneros, Maria Patterson, Cat Wu
I have also given short talks at the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, Las Cruces, NM (October 2008); the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, India (June and August 2008); and Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico (August 2007); and presented posters at NMSU's Graduate Research and Arts Symposium, Las Cruces, NM (April 2007 and April 2008).
