Service and Involvement

Current Involvement

Stellar Mentorship Program

I am currently a leader of the Stellar Mentorship Program at Michigan State University. This program is designed to provide mentorship opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in the Astronomy and Astrophysics program at Michigan State University. We focus on both one-on-one mentorship relationships as well as group mentorship opportunities and events. The goal of this program is to provide support and guidance for students in the program as they navigate their academic and professional careers in astronomy and astrophysics. I have participated in this program as both a mentor and a mentee and have had the opportunity to learn from and support students at various stages of their academic careers in the program. My role as a leader of this program involves organizing and facilitating the group mentoring events, as well as coordinating the one-on-one mentorship relationships between mentors and mentees in the program.

Michigan State Observatory Outreach

I am currently involved in outreach efforts at the Michigan State University Observatory. Twice a month between April and October, the observatory hosts public outreach nights where members of the community can come and learn about astronomy and see the night sky through our telescopes. I have been involved in multiple of these outreach nights for the past two years. However, I have also worked to improve the overall experience for attendees at these outreach nights by helping to develop new outreach materials and activities for these outreach nights. I want people to feel welcomed and engaged and have worked to create a smoother and more interactive experience for attendees at these outreach nights.

Past Involvement

Prospective Student Visit Liaison

For 2 years I planned and coordinated the prospective student visit days for the Astronomy and Astrophysics PhD program at Michigan State. This involved planning the schedule for the visit, coordinating meetings between prospective students and current students or faculty, and communicating with prospective students to ensure they had all the information they needed for their visit. I also helped to organize the social events for the visit day, which included a meals, relevant tours of campus, and other social activities. This was a very rewarding experience as I was able to help prospective students get a feel for the program and help them make informed decisions about their graduate school choices.

Graduate Student Curriculum Committee

I served on the Graduate Student Curriculum Committee at Michigan State University. This committee was tasked with reviewing the curriculum for the Astronomy and Astrophysics Masters and PhD programs and making recommendations for changes to the curriculum. My involvement last for approximately a year and I was able to provide feedback on the curriculum from the perspective of a current student in the program. This committee's proposed changes to the core curriculum to better reflect the current research interests of the department and to better prepare students for the current job market in astronomy and astrophysics. The committee's recommendations were ultimately accepted and the curriculum was updated to better reflect the needs of current students in the program.

Code 4 Community

I was a very active member of the computer science club Code 4 Community at Ohio State University, serving first as both treasurer and president of the club, each for one year. The goal of this student organization was to introduce K-12 students to the fundamentals of computer science with interactive modules and presentations that we made as an organization. I helped developed multiple modules and led over a dozen outreach presentations at local schools and after school programs in central Ohio. If you are looking for something fun to play, I recommend Cats & Mice which is a program I helped develop to teach students about variables.