While in college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I gained an interest in astronomy after taking a class by Dr. Martin Gaskell. Over the next several years, I had the opportunity to help Dr. Gaskell with his research into Active Galactic Nuclei galaxies (or AGN). My job was pretty simple and tiring. I sat at the observatory all night long taking images of specific galaxies using a computer controlled telescope located at the UNL Student Observatory.
AGN's are found in active galaxies, with a core brightness that is brighter than the entire rest of the galaxy. The most energetic form of AGN is a quasar, a compact region of space believed to be surrounding supermassive black holes (to make a very complex topic sound simple).
Since I was assisting Dr. Gaskell with his research, it meant that I received credit on some research papers. Sometimes, my name was merely part of a "Here is a list of people who helped conduct the research." Other times, I earned credit as a Co-Author, even though my role was more the photographer. On some occasions, my name might get mentioned in presentations at astronomy conferences. Either way, it was still cool to say that I contributed to actual scientific research in a subject I love.
AGN's are found in active galaxies, with a core brightness that is brighter than the entire rest of the galaxy. The most energetic form of AGN is a quasar, a compact region of space believed to be surrounding supermassive black holes (to make a very complex topic sound simple).
Since I was assisting Dr. Gaskell with his research, it meant that I received credit on some research papers. Sometimes, my name was merely part of a "Here is a list of people who helped conduct the research." Other times, I earned credit as a Co-Author, even though my role was more the photographer. On some occasions, my name might get mentioned in presentations at astronomy conferences. Either way, it was still cool to say that I contributed to actual scientific research in a subject I love.
Known Published Research Credits:
- Optical Variability of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Akn 564 on Timescales from Hours to Years. (2001)
- Optical Variability of Two High-Luminosity Radio-Quiet Quasars, PDS 456 and PHL 1811. (2003)
- Optical Variability of the Three Brightest Nearby Quasars. (2006)
- Disk-Jet Connection in the Radio Galaxy 3C 120. (2009)