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Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Each year the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium awards a number of undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships to the best and brightest college and university students from WSGC affiliate member institutions. The WSGC fellowship awards are based on academic performance, space and aerospace-related promise and the submission of a specific research proposal. The fellowships funds help defer the costs of the student's research. WSGC is pleased to announce and congratulate the following students on their WSGC Graduate Fellowships:
2007-2008
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Ella Braden
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: The Young Open Cluster M35 as a Probe of Stellar Dynamics and Binary Populations
Synopsis: In order to improve current understanding of stars and stellar evolution, Braden will analyze the binary frequency, mass-segregation, stars showing anomalous spectra and eclipsing binaries in the young open cluster M35. |
Claudia Cyganowski
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: On a Bubble’s Edge: Molecular Gas and Triggered Star Formation
Synopsis: The GLIMPSE survey shows that small, infrared-bright dust bubbles produced by massive stars pervade the Galactic Plane. Cyganowski will investigate whether the expansion of these bubbles triggers star formation in surrounding molecular gas.
Emily Freeland
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Bent-Double Radio Sources as Probes of the Intragroup Medium
Synopsis: The vast majority of galaxies, including the Milky Way, reside in loose groups which are small dynamical systems typically containing a handful of large galaxies and a large number of smaller ones. Groups probably contain a significant fraction of the total baryonic mass in the local universe in their intragroup medium (IGM). Aside from a handful of X-ray observations almost nothing is known about the IGM in these systems. This is a continuation of a thesis project consisting of radio and optical observations that will allow Freeland to measure the density of the IGM to an unprecedented degree.
Amanda Gault
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Microwave Instrumentation and the Millimeter-wave Bolometric Interferometer
Synopsis: Advanced microwave phase modulators will provide lock-in detection of small CMB signals. These are being tested for use in the Millimeter-wave Bolometric Interferometer, a test-bed for technology for the Einstein Inflation Probe.
Matthew Glenz
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Research Title: Proposal to Research a New Modeling of Inflation and
High Energy Neutrino Detections to Probe Distant Universe
Synopsis: Develop new method of modeling inflation to explore the
history of the universe and examine neutrino interaction signatures to
be used as probes of physics in the distant universe. |
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Kelley Hess
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Gas Evolution in Galaxy Groups as a Function of Environment
Synopsis: The properties of gas in and around galaxies trace the evolutionary history of large-scale structures over the lifetime of the universe. The most interesting and least well studied of these structures are groups: collections of a handful of massive galaxies and large numbers of small galaxies. Close to 70 percent of all galaxies are believed to reside in such groups, and therefore they are a key evolutionary link between individual galaxies and the massive clusters. Hess will identify a sample of galaxy groups detected in the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA (ALFALFA) survey, and use the observations to study the characteristics of the cold neutral gas that lies within the late-type galaxies. Meanwhile, X-ray observations identify active galactic nuclei (AGN), and trace the hot gas that lies in the intragroup medium. By examining and quantifying the properties of gas in a sample of groups, Hess hopes to understand the impact of AGN on groups, and how the groups evolve as a function of environment. |
Evan Alec Johnson
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Relaxation Algorithm for Two-Fluid Space Plasmas
Synopsis: A relaxation method will be developed to switch naturally and adaptively between two-fluid and one-fluid plasma models. |
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Tobias Keidl
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Research Title: On Finding Fields and Self-Force in a Gauge Appropriate to Separable Wave Equations
Synopsis: Keidl will look at a binary black hole system composed of a supermassive black hole orbited by a stellar sized black hole and will examine the motion and radiation emitted by this system to calculate a waveform suitable for use by LISA.
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Amanda Kepley
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Magnetic Fields in Irregular Galaxies
Synopsis: Kepley will investigate the magnetic field structure of irregular galaxies using observations at radio wavelengths in order to understand how large-scale fields are generated in these galaxies. |
Ryan Taylor
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling of Pulse-Tube Refrigerators
Synopsis: Taylor will carry out fundamental work that will enable the deployment of high efficiency pulse-tube refrigerators (PTRs) for aerospace applications by developing an experimentally-verified and powerful CFD model that can be applied to the design of efficient pulse tubes. The specific objective of the work is the development of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models of pulse tube/flow transition behavior using the commercial software FLUENT. These CFD models will be experimentally-validated using data taken at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, CO. The experimentally-validated model will be used to generate design charts which will enable a pulse-tube designer the ability to use the most optimal pulse-tube design for a given set of operational parameters to maximize system efficiency. |
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Jonathan Van Dyke
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Research Title: Searching for a Muscle Atrophy Countermeasure in Over-Wintering Black Bears
Synopsis: Van Dyke will study the mechanism bears use to maintain muscle mass during hibernation and resist the negative effects of reduced weight bearing activity. This may be applied in humans to preserve skeletal muscle in microgravity. |
2006-2007
Emily Barrentine
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Development of a Transition-Edge Hot-Electron Microbolometer
Synopsis: Future missions to probe the Cosmic Microwave Background polarization will need sensitive detectors provided by arrays of 1000s of bolometers. My project will develop a Transition-Edge Hot-Electron Microbolometer to fill this need.
Kathryn Devine
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Infra-Red Dark Clouds - Internal Conditions and Link to Massive Star Formation
Synopsis: I will investigate the relationship between infrared dark clouds and high mass star formation to establish whether IRDCs are similar to low-mass pre-protostellar cores and the IRDC fraction exhibiting star formation.
Emily Freeland
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: The Environments of Bent-Double Radio Galaxies
Synopsis: Attempts to measure the baryon content of the local universe have as yet been unsuccessful in accounting for greater than one third of the baryon density seen at high redshifts. Hydrodynamical simulations predict that 30-40% of the baryons in the local universe reside in a warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM). This WHIM may account for a large component of baryonic matter in groups of galaxies. One method of probing the density of a warm intragroup medium is examining its impact on the jets of radio galaxies. These jets have an impact on their surrounding environment. Radio halos and relics have been detected in clusters of galaxies but their origin is unknown. Previous searches for this diffuse non-thermal radio emission have concentrated on clusters and little is known about this emission in groups of galaxies. Recent searches of 327 MHz radio catalogs have reported three groups of galaxies which have radio luminosities similar to clusters and do not follow the cluster LR - LX relation. I propose to use low frequency (610 and 235 MHz) radio continuum observations, optical spectroscopy and imaging, and previous optical and radio catalogs to study the environments of a large sample of bent-double radio sources in galaxy groups.
Amanda Gault
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Microwave Instrumentation and the Millimeter-wave Bolometric Interferometer for Studying CMB Polarization
Synopsis: Advanced microwave phase modulators will provide lock-in detection of small CMB signals. These are being tested for use in the Millimeter-wave Bolometric Interferometer, a test-bed for technology for the Einstein Inflation Probe.
Aaron Geller
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: New Astrophysics from Old Open Clusters
Synopsis: I propose to make high-resolution radial-velocity measurements to determine membership and binary star orbits for WOCS clusters. These data will serve as a testing ground for a complete theory of stellar evolution and dynamics.
Karen Tabetha Hole
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Supernova Asymmetry through Spectropolarimetric Modeling and Observation
Synopsis: An investigation of supernova explosions using spectropolarimetric observations and simulations to constrain progenitors and explosion mechanisms for both Type Ia and core-collapse supernovae.
Peter Hyland
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Exploring the Earliest Times with the Millimeter-wave Bolometric Interferometer
Synopsis: The Millimeter-wave Bolometric Interferometer is an experiment which utilizes two mature technologies to measure the polarized component of the CMB and provide a window on the earliest times and highest energy scales in the universe.
Evan A Johnson
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Adaptive Heterogenous Multiscale Methods for Space Plasmas
Synopsis: Adaptive domain decomposition methods will be developed to adaptively switch between numerical methods for kinetic and fluid models of plasmas to achieve optimal efficiency and physical correctness.
Tobias Keidl
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Research Title: Gravitational Radiation for a Two Black Hole Binary System
Synopsis: In this proposal, we look at a binary black hole system composed of a supermassive black hole orbited by a small stellar sized black hole. We will examine the detailed motion and radiation emitted by this system to provide a template for LISA.
Benjamin Longmier
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Electric Propulsion Using a Neutralizing Non-Ambipolar Electron Source
Synopsis: Non-Ambipolar Electron Sources have the potential to increase the lifetime of state-of-the-art Hall and Ion thrusters for spacecraft missions throughout the solar system. This research aims to do this using an rf plasma source.
Matthew Povich
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Taking the Pulse of the Milky Way
Synopsis: I propose to estimate the star-formation rate of the Milky Way utilizing the GLIMPSE survey combined with various supplementary datasets. A Spitzer Legacy Science Program, GLIMPSE utilizes the unique capabilities of the Infrared Array Camera on board the Spitzer Space Telescope to look through heavy obscuration in the Galactic disk and observe young stars in the infrared that are rendered invisible at optical wavelengths by extinction. The GLIMPSE point-source catalog and archive contain the infrared colors and spectral energy distributions for several tens of millions of sources, a significant fraction of which are young stellar objects. This provides a means of directly characterizing the stellar content of numerous star formation regions. Previous estimates of the Galactic star-formation rate have relied upon indirect methods of detecting O stars and extrapolating across the initial mass function to lower-mass stars. My research will combine the population statistics across the Galactic disk and ultimately lead to a refinement or revision of the birthrate.
Harrison Skye
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Title: Rectified Continuous Flow Loop for the Thermal Management of Large Structures
Synopsis: Distributed loads are frequently encountered in large deployable structures used in space applications such as optical mirrors, actively cooled sunshades, and on focal plane electronics. An innovative mechanism for providing distributed cooling is via an oscillatory cryocooler such as a pulse-tube that is integrated with a fluid rectification system consisting of check-valves and buffer volumes in order to extract a small amount of continuous flow. This continuous flow allows relatively large loads to be accepted over a long distance with a small temperature difference and has advantages relative to vibration and electrical isolation. Also, it is possible to provide rapid and precise temperature control via modulation of the flow rate. The same working fluid, helium, can be used throughout the entire system, reducing complexity and simplifying the contamination control process.
2005-2006 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Borg, Lori
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Chomiuk, Laura
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Astronomy
Cyganowski, Claudia
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Astronomy
Devine, Kathryn
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Astronomy
Freeland, Emily
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Astronomy
Gault, Amanda
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Physics
Hamann, Joseph
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Materials Science & Engineering
Hole, Karen
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Astronomy
Howard, Matthew
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Hyland, Peter
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Physics
Keidl, Tobias
UW-Milwaukee
Major/Title: Physics
Kulie, Mark
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Atmospheric Science
Longmier, Benjamin
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Engineering Physics
Trouille, Laura
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Astronomy
Westfall, Kyle
UW-Madison
Major/Title: Astronomy
2004-2005 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Borg, Lori A.
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Research: Aerosols, Clouds, and Precipitation Monitoring over the Great Lakes
Synopsis: Recent studies highlight the implications of human activities on climate in the Great Lakes region. The proposed project will address one aspect of human activities by monitoring the impact of pollution on the clouds and aerosols.
Crawford, Steven
U. of Wisconsin--Madison
Research: ACS Imaging of Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies: Morphology and Structure
Synopsis: Despite their small size, Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies dominate the global star formation rate at intermediate redshifts and provide an important test of hierarchical structure formation scenarios.
Dellenbusch, Kate
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research: Star Formation and its Trigger in Starburst Dwarf Galaxies
Synopsis: Dwarf galaxies are the most numerous type of galaxy in the universe. It is not clear whether an evolutionary connection exists between different dwarf morphological types, and what role star formation may play in this evolution.
Freeland, Emily
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research: The Gas Content of Groups of Galaxies
Synopsis: Intermediate between isolated galaxies and rich clusters, groups of galaxies are the most ubiquitous dynamical systems in the universe. Nonetheless, very little is known about the structure and evolution of their gas content.
Hamann, Joseph A.
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research: Synthesis & Stability of Amorphous Aluminum Alloys - Advancing Towards Bulk Processing Techniques
Hole, Karen
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research: Magnetic Disk Locking and the Angular Momentum Problem in Young Stars
Synopsis: Magnetic disk locking is a leading theory to explain the difference between the observed rotation speeds of CTTSs and those predicted from conservation of angular momentum in a collapsing molecular cloud. Still, the theory is not yet able to explain the properties of observed CTTSs.
Hyland, Peter
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research: A Search for Gravity Waves from the Big Bang using the Cosmic Microwave Background
Keidl, Tobias S.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Research: Gravitational Radiation for a Two Black Hole Binary System
Synopsis: Understanding of the self force of a small black holes spiraling into a large black hole represents an important area of research. This research aims to compute the gravitational self force of such systems.
Komp, William
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Research: Accelerating the Universe with Vacuum Metamorphosis
Norman, Ryan
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Research: Kaon Transport for Space Radiation and the Continued Development of HZETRN
Synopsis: Space radiation and its effects on human life and sensitive equipment are of concern to a safe exploration of space. The radiation fields are modified in quality and quantity by intervening shielding materials. The production of kaons and other mesons are thought to account for some of these modifications.
Tuchowski, Fern
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Research: The Experimental Study and System Optimization of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell
Synopsis: Direct methanol fuel cells promise to be convenient and efficient sources of energy that can be used in many environments, including space. This project proposes to modify the membrane of the DMFC and employ a fuel catalyst to improve its performance.
Wehner, Elizabeth
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research: The Pre-Burst Nature of Starbursting Galaxies w/Evidence of Recent Merging
Synopsis: This project will explore the connection between "starburst" galaxies, those experiencing extreme star formation, and intergalactic collisions. Understanding this link will test two competing theories and provide valuable insight into how galaxies form and evolve.
Westfall, Kyle
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Research: Toward the Disk Mass-to-Light Ratio of Faint Galaxies
Synopsis: I propose to break the disk-halo degeneracy in the mass decomposition of galactic rotation curves in the interesting case of low-surface brightness (LSB) galaxies. The proposed work requires the continuation of the upgrade to the Bench Spectograph on the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope.
2003-2004 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Baewer, David
Medical College of WI
Research: Daily Stretching of Soleus Muscles
Cook, Blake
UW-Milwaukee
Research: Forced Induced Response on Axial Fan
Crawford, Steven
UW-Madison
Research: The Ultimate Fate of Luminous Compact Galaxies
Hamann, Joseph
UW-Madison
Research: Synthesis and Stability of Amorphous A1 Alloys
Hole, Karen
UW-Madison
Research: Investigation of Stellar Evolution
Kepley, Amanda
UW-Madison
Research: Extended HI in Local Group Dwarf Irregular WLM
Komp, William
UW-Milwaukee
Research: Vacuum Metamorphosis and the Accelerating Cosmos
Madsen, Gregory
UW-Madison
Research: Continuing a WHAM Study of the Heterogeneous Nature of the Worm
Norman, Ryan
UW-Milwaukee
Research: Pion Production Cross Sections and HZETRN
Sams, Oliver
Marquette
Research: Hybrid Rocket Engines
Steffen, Aaron
UW-Madison
Research: The Evolution of the X-ray Luminosity Function
Wehner, Elizabeth
UW-Madison
Research: The Pre-burst Nature of Star bursting Galaxies
2002-2003 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Blattnig, Steve
UW-Milwaukee
Research: MESTRN: a Meson-Muon Transport Code For Space Radiation
Dake, Timothy
Marquette
Research: Cooling of the Next Generation Micro-Chips in Aerospace Communications
Glenn, Andrew
UW-Madison
Research: Structure and Evolution of Brightest Cluster Ellipticals
Hamann, Joseph
UW-Madison
Research: Synthesis & Stability of Amorphous Al Alloys: Advancing Towards Bulk Processing Techniques
Komp, William
UW-Milwaukee
Research: Vacuum Dominated Cosmologies
Madsen, Gregory
UW-Madison
Research: A WHAM Study of the Heterogeneous Nature of the Warm Ionized Medium
Sams, Oliver
Marquette
Research: Computational Modeling of a Vortex Injection Liquid Rocket Engine
Steffen, Aaron
UW-Madison
Research: Measuring the Global Accretion History Of Active Galactic Nuclei
Vyas, Anand
Marquette
Research: Theoretical Characterization of Vortex Injection Core Flow in Rocket Combustion Chambers
2001-2002 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Steve Blattnig
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Research: Pion and Muon Transport for Space Radiation Applications
Andrew Glenn
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Structure and Evolution of Brightest Cluster Ellipticals
Joseph Hamann
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Synthesis & Stability of Amorphous Al Alloys: Advancing Towards Bulk Processing Techniques
Nicole Homeier
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Near-Infrared Survey for Emission-Line Stars in the Inner Milky Way
William Komp
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Research: Vacuum Cold Dark Matter Dominated Epoch of FRW Cosmology
Nathan Miller
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Using Chandra Line Profiles to Probe Hot-Star X-ray Sources
Christopher Watson
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Magneto-turbulent Entrainment in Protostellar Outflows
2000-2001 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Sean C. Ahern
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Christopher J. Conselice
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dirk M. Fabian
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Daniel J. Pisano
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Christopher G. Watson
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1999-2000 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipients
Sean C. Ahearn
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Research: Particle Production in High Energy Cosmic Ray Interactions
Susan Bellman
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Research: Metallicity Survey of the Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy Draco
Steve R. Blattnig
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Research: Pion Transport for Space Radiation Applications
Christopher J. Conselice
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Design Specifications for the Next Generation Space Telescope
Jennifer L. Hoffman
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Curing Color-Blindness in Binary Star Numerical Models
Daniel Pisano III
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research: Building Isolated Galaxies
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