CV [pdf]
Education
- B.A. Physics, Wesleyan University, 2021
- Awarded departmental high honors
- B.A. Astronomy, Wesleyan University, 2021
Research
- Classifying X-ray Binaries in the Local Universe (Spring 2019 - Present)
- Wesleyan University, Department of Astronomy
- Work on identifying and classifying local X-ray binaries (XRBs) using archival Chandra data
- Honors thesis; awarded high honors
- Supervisor: Dr. Roy Kilgard
- Summer research fellow (Summer 2020)
- Wesleyan University, Department of Astronomy
- Worked on identifying and classifying local X-ray binaries (XRBs) using archival Chandra data
- Presented my work as a poster at Wesleyan University
- Supervisor: Dr. Roy Kilgard
- Fall 2017 - Spring 2019: Researcher
- Wesleyan University, Department of Astronomy
- Worked on simulating images from the Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL)
- Supervisor: Dr. Seth Redfield
- Summer 2019: Summer research fellow
- Wesleyan University, Department of Astronomy
- Wrote a GR raytracing script to simulate images of exoplanets gravitationally lensed by the Sun
- Presented my work in a talk at KNAC @ Vassar, as a poster at Wesleyan University
- Supervisor: Dr. Seth Redfield
Outreach & Activities
- Student Director, Van Vleck Observatory (Fall 2019 - Spring 2021)
- Wesleyan University, Department of Astronomy
- Responsible for training, target selection and maintenance for VVO’s 24” research telescopes
- Involved in installation, operation of 24” PlaneWave research telescope
- Co-founder, Wesleyan Astronomy & Space Club (Fall 2018 - Spring 2021)
- Astronomy club for students at Wesleyan University
- Weekly presentations given at an intro level on a topic in astronomy
- Co-founder, Cosmology & Astroparticle Physics Journal Club (Spring 2019 - Fall 2020)
- Created as a way to get exposure to topics outside of Wesleyan’s research areas
- Weekly meetings to discuss a recent paper in the field
- Member, Wesleyan Diversity Journal Club (Summer 2020)
- Bi-weekly meetings to discuss an article relevant to promoting diversity in astronomy & STEM in general
- Discussion and delegation of departmental diversity initiatives takes place during these meetings
- Reading course on gravitational theory (Spring 2018 - Spring 2019)
- Met weekly for 2-4hrs to discuss readings & engage in problem-solving
- Covered topics including mathematical methods for theoretical physics, basic SR/GR, and black hole physics
- Fall 2017 - Present: Telescope operator (Fall 2017 - Spring 2021)
- Operate VVO 24” Perkin and PlaneWave research telescopes on observing runs
- Space Night and Kids’ Night @ VVO (Fall 2017 - Spring 2020)
- Public outreach events organized by the department, led by student volunteers on a weekly basis
- Short presentation, activities & observing carried out by astronomy students
Teaching
- Astrophysics teaching assistant, Summer Science Program (June 2021 - July 2021)
- Aided in facilitating lecture activities and group problem-solving sessions
- Graded homework, Python code, and student submissions to the Minor Planet Association for ~30 students
- Coding instructor & course assistant, ASTR 211: Observational Astronomy (Spring 2021)
- Developed a Python programming curriculum designed to teach techniques for observational astronomy & data science
- Created tutorials, exercises, and homework problems for students
- Taught weekly Zoom “lab sessions”
- Held weekly office hours for programming-related issues
- Graded coding-related homework problems
- Course assistant, ASTR 155: Introduction to Astrophysics (Fall 2020)
- Aided in facilitating group problem-solving sessions during lecture
- Held weekly office hours
- Graded exams
- Teaching assistant, ASTR 107: The Universe (Fall 2019)
- Conducted weekly homework help sessions for students
- Led laboratory exercises in class
- Graded labs & weekly homework for 50 students
Presentations
- Circling the Cosmic Drain: Analysis and Characterization of Accreting X-ray Binaries in the Local Universe
- Poster: January 11-15 @ AAS Winter Meeting iPoster
- If You Give the Sun a Telescope: Imaging Alien Earths with the Solar Gravitational Lens
- Bright Meals for Light Eaters: Analysis and Characterization of Ultraluminous, Accreting X-Ray Binaries in the Local Universe
- Poster: July 26th, 2020 @ Wesleyan University [Poster] (Password: summer20)
Publications
Tea, M V (2021). I Chand’ Believe They’re Black Holes: Identifying, Characterizing, and Contextualizing Bright X-ray Binaries in the Local Universe with Chandra. Wesleyan University honors thesis, astronomy department. Awarded high honors.
Tea, M V, Redfield S (2019). If You Give the Sun a Telescope: Imaging Alien earths with the Solar Gravitational Lens. Proceedings of the 30th Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium Undergraduate Research Symposium, 99-103.
Honors and awards
- 2021: Departmental High Honors in Astronomy, Wesleyan University
- 2020: NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Research Fellowship
- 2020: Wesleyan University Summer Research Fellow
- 2019: NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Scholarship
- 2019: Wesleyan University Summer Research Fellow
Technical Skills
Programming: Python, C, SQL, LaTeX, HTML/CSS
Tools/Frameworks: Unix/OSX, Windows, Git, Jupyter Notebook, CIAO, Sherpa, BigQuery, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat
Libraries: numpy, matplotlib, pandas, scipy, astropy
Coursework highlights
Physics: Quantum Mechanics I/II, Electricity and Magnetism, Thermal and Statistical Physics, Classical Dynamics, Special Relativity, General Relativity (tutorial), Electronics
Astronomy: Observational Astronomy, Extragalactic Astronomy & Cosmology, Stellar Structure & Evolution, Exoplanets, Radio Astronomy, Astronomical Pedagogy
Other: Computer Science I, Discrete Mathematics
Research Interests
Observational astrophysics: X-ray binaries, gravitational waves, compact objects, tests of general relativity, multimessenger astronomy, statistical inference & machine learning
Relativity theory: Numerical relativity, compact binary coalescence, information theory, strong gravity, holography, quantum gravity