Teaching
Courses taught at Columbia University
- Frontiers of Science
- ASTR 1404: Stars, Galaxies and Cosmology
- ASTR 1836: Stars and Atoms
- ASTR 1420: Galaxies and Cosmology
- ASTR 2002: Introduction to Astronomy II
- ASTR 8110: The Local Group
Outreach
I contribute to K-12 education through occasional school visits as well as more regularly through connections with two specific programs:
- Project Rousseau - This organization connects undergraduate mentors with students in underserved public schools in the NYC area. They regularly bring groups to our to our Public Observing nights. I also meet with these groups each year to talk about research and career paths more generally.
- Camp G.O.A.L.S. for Middle School Girls, hosted by the Intrepid Museum: groups from this program visit our department for two days each Summer.
I have also written an article for Scientific American on "Fossil Hunting in the Milky Way" (December 2014 issue). Download the full article from Scientific American (subscription required).
Diversity
I am interested in supporting the advancement of under-represented groups in science through various activities. Three examples:
- Presentations on my own perspective and leading discussions on Women in Science at institutions where I have been invited to give colloquia (so far at 14 institutions across the US as well as 2 in Canada and 1 in Chile).
- Recent update to the previous talk: Power, Privilege and Leadership in Academia
- Participation in and presentations/panels at meetings for Undergraduate Women in Physics (at Yale in jan 2009 and Rutgers in Jan 2015) and minorities in physics more generally (The National Societies for Black and Hispanic Physicists and Ivy-plus STEM symposium in 2012)