Becca S
- Research Program Mentor
MS candidate at Tufts University
Expertise
Observational Astronomy/Astrophysics/Planetary Science
Bio
Hello! I am a Master’s student at Tufts University studying astrophysics. I am currently doing research on binary star systems but plan to pursue planetary science in my Ph.D. I have done research on massive variable stars and binary stars, and was a part of the only US team to win the 2023 NameExoWorlds competition where we named GJ 436 & GJ 436b. Outside of school and research, I love musical theatre and performing. In my free time I make latch hook rugs and watch Friends!Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Standardized Reduction Code for TESS Data Analysis
This project aims to create a standardized code for reducing and analyzing light curves from NASA’s Transitting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). In this project, light curves from TESS will be extracted using previous methods. The goal of the project is to create a notebook that takes these light curves, corrects automatically, and saves them as a new data file. The corrected light curves can then be used to study the stars.
Coding skills
PythonLanguages I know
German, intermediateTeaching experience
I mentored two high school students on my research thesis. The students were actively involved in the project and are coauthors on the paper.Credentials
Education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
BS Bachelor of Science (2022)
AstronomyTufts University
MS Master of Science candidate
Physics: Astrophysics