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Feel free to contact me with any inquires you may have and
I will do my best to respond in a timely manner.
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In case the link doesn't work, my email is astrorya (at) umich (dot) edu.
Photometric Redshifts
This project took place at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tuscon, Arizona as part of my class project
for
ASTRO461
at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, taught by
Professor Sally Oey.
The goal of this project was to address the negative statistical impact of using photometric redshifts as a replacement for spectroscopic redshifts in calculations
such as calculating H0, the Hubble constant, which describes how fast the Universe is expanding in the present day. I worked
with
Matt Wanink
on this project, and we presented our poster to the staff at Kitt Peak.
This project required us to design a research project in the first five days, serve on a Telescope Allocation Committee to
determine whose project would be most feasible and made the most sense, learn to collect data and calibration data, maintain the MDM observatories
(included refilling the dewars, opening and closing the dome, and more), learn how to reduce raw photometric and spectroscopic data correctly and analyze
reduced data, as well as learn about the impact that observatories have on communities, light pollution, how telescope technology
has advanced since the Cold War, and much more.
Our project concluded that it is absolutely necessary to have a high signal-to-noise ratio in several (3+) different filters with at least
one filter specifically catching a break in emission from a galaxy in order to get accurate results.
Click here to view our proposal.
Click here to view our poster.
Click here to view my full CV.