Michael Kirk
|
| Teaching Assistant |
| Entered: | 2008 |
| Office: | 107 Astronomy |
| Phone: | (575)646-4939 |
| Fax: | (575)646-1602 |
| |
| E-mail: | mskirk |
| (append "@nmsu.edu") |
| |
|
|
| B.A. | Whitman College, | 2006 |
|
Research
I
was a physics and astronomy major at Whitman College, and worked as a
summer intern on a variety of research projects, including
interstellar abundances. My interest in astronomy and in space also
translated to flight training, and a pilot's license.
For
the last two years, I have worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
With Dr. Dean Pesnell, I have studied detection methods for solar
polar coronal holes. I have been working to develop techniques for
using the solar limb for feature identification, tracing the location
of the Sun's outwardly directed polar magnetic field using a feature
on the limb. I have also investigated ways to calibrate solar images
taken in the EUV but many years apart. I am very curious about the
key processes which drive the solar dynamo and changes in the solar
polarity, and predictive tests for charting the future activity level
of the Sun.
I
began my graduate studies in August 2008 and am continuing my work
with solar astronomy and image processing. My advisor is Dr.
Jason Jackiewicz.
Refereed
Publications
Automated
Detection of EUV Polar Coronal Holes During Solar Cycle 23
(submitted)
M. S. Kirk · W. D. Pesnell · C.
A. Young · S. A. Hess Webber
Meetings
March
2008: SDO
Science Teams Meeting
Poster:
Automated Detection of Polar
Coronal Holes in the EUV
Michael Kirk ·
Dean Pesnell
December
2007: American
Geophysical Union meeting
Poster:
Methods
of Detecting Polar Coronal Holes in the EUV
Michael
Kirk ·
Dean Pesnell
September
2007: NASA
Living with a Star meeting
Poster:
Getting Something From
Nothing: Polar Coronal Holes in Cycles 22 and 23
Shea
Hess Webber ·
Michael Kirk ·
Dean Pesnell
