Welcome!
I am beginning my 3rd year of graduate study, and will continue to study the atmosphere of Mars with Dr. Jim Murphy. Currently we are modeling the behavior of methane in Mars' atmosphere. Please see my research page for more information.
About Me
I grew up in rural Iowa, and received my B.S. in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa. Before I devoted my life to grad school, I was involved in many activities ranging from sports (soccer and cheerleading), to dance, to music (flute & piccolo, 4 years in the Hawkeye Marching Band), to drama club, to sorority life (Alpha Epsilon Phi). I worked as a youth soccer referee, lifeguard, and swim instructor before getting involved in research.
In my moments of free time during grad school I am dancing, swimming, tumbling, biking, or running. I also enjoy playing soccer, hiking, and occasionally ultimate frisbee. I competed in my first two sprint triathlons this summer, and will be racing in an olympic distance triathlon (as a relay team with two other astronomy graduate students) in September and another sprint triathlon in December. I am also assistant coaching a youth soccer team in the Las Cruces area (Go Hurricanes!).
Pictures:
Upper Right: I am standing in the center of the Arecibo Radio Telescope
Lower Left: After my second triathlon
My Contact Information
- Office:
- 209 Astronomy Building
- Phone:
- (575)646-7724
- Address:
- Department of Astronomy
- New Mexico State University
- P.O. Box 30001, MSC 4500
- Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
- Email:
- mchizek@nmsu.edu