I am a PhD candidate in the Astronomy Department at the University of California at Santa Cruz.
I am interested in astronomical instrumentation, stellar and planetary systems (formation and evolution), and science education. I study/build/use high-contrast adaptive optics systems. Right now I am working on a project to image brown dwarfs as faint companions to solar-type stars.
Observing a KBO (Kuiper-Belt Object) stellar (non-)occultation with the Crossley 36" Reflector at Lick Observatory in October 2009. (Photos by Amanda Zangari.)
This was the oldest telescope I have used, and the most fun! Slewing is by hand (push/pull), and the observer uses a hand paddle to raise a motorized platform up and down in order to stand next to prime focus. From the platform, the observer can look out the dome slit to view the yellow city lights of San Jose, the mountains around Mount Hamilton, and the beautiful night sky. It makes for an extraordinarily enjoyable observing experience. Just be sure to wear a good hat and gloves!
It's fun doing "real" astronomy!
Aligning optics for ViLLaGEs (visible-light open-loop MEMS-based on-sky AO testbed) in the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics (LAO). The instrument is now under engineering at Mt. Hamilton on the 1-m Nickel telescope. (Photo by Daren Dillon.)