I am a fourth year graduate student in the Astronomy & Astrophysics department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I study the structure and dynamics of Andromeda, the nearest large spiral galaxy, via kinematics of resolved stellar populations. Our neighbor is key to understanding both our Milky Way home and galaxies far too distant to resolve individual stars.
I am particularly interested in making science accessible to the public, especially to those who have come to believe that science is "too hard." I spend a fraction of my time on two educational fronts: mentoring individual students, and developing the teaching assistant training program in the astronomy department at UCSC. Though one step removed from our students, this newer foray has the potential to reach hundreds more people through our many talented instructors.