I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Astronomy, where I work with Professor Kaitlin Kratter on numerical simulations of planet formation. My research focuses on connecting telescope observations of protoplanetary discs by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to hydrodynamic simulations in order to better understand the phenomena in these discs and how planets form.

With the NASA Space Grant, I am designing inquiry-based homework assignments for various astronomy courses during the year. During my PhD, the two outreach activities that have been the most important to me are Astrobites and the ISEE Professional Development Program (ISEE PDP). As an author for the graduate student-run Astrobites website, I have written two dozen summaries of recent research papers in astronomy with the goal of making the latest research more accessible to undergraduates. As a participant in the ISEE PDP, my team designed a full-day inquiry-based activity for undergraduate summer research students with the goal of having them learn about a topic in astronomy in a self-guided manner that resembles how scientists conduct research.

In general, many undergraduate courses lack the opportunity for students to learn in this inquiry-based manner. For my project, I will design homework assignments that give students the opportunity to learn in the same way as scientists conduct research, using Astrobite articles as a means for students to explore topics on their own. The learning goals of these assignments will be to have students learn the course material and to learn how to read scientific research papers.