About Me
I am an observational astronomer and study the impact that massive stars have on our Milky Way Galaxy. I defended my PhD in 2009 under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Bania. From 2009 to 2011 I worked with Drs. Annie Zavagno and Lise Deharveng on Herschel satellite data. I became an assistant professor at WVU in 2011. Download my CV (PDF).
I have two amazing daughters and one incorrigible dog, Saturn. In my free time I like to hike, run, ski, play soccer, make beer, play piano, and fix up my 1911 bungalow.
Research
My research concerns Galactic HII regions the plasma spheres surrounding massive stars, and what they can teach us about the structure of our Galaxy. I have led the GBT Diffuse Ionized Gas Survey, the WISE Catalog of Galactic HII Regions, and the HII Region Discovery Survey. Please see my full paper list as an ADS Public Library.
I also lead the astronomy REU program, which brings ~8 undergraduate researchers to our department every summer, and the Mapping the Milky Way outreach project, where West Virginian high school students discover new Galactic HII regions with the Green Bank Telescope.
Teaching
ASTR106, Descriptive Astronomy, Fall 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, & 2015
ASTR367, Astrophysics I, Fall 2019
ASTR368, Astrophysics II, Spring 2014, 2016, 2020, & 2022
ASTR469, Observational Astronomy, Spring 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021, & 2023
ASTR693A, Astrophysics Graduate Seminar, Fall/Spring 2017-present
ASTR701, Computational Astrophysics, Fall 2021
ASTR705, The Interstellar Medium, Fall 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, & Spring 2023
PHYS101, Introductory Physics, Fall 2017