Education: B.A. in Biology; minors in Physics and Math, Augustana University, 2016 M.Sc. in Physics, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2020 Research Interests: Spectrophotometry of planetary surfaces Fun Fact: Formula 1 enthusiast Dissertation Advisor: Ujjwal Raut
Education: B.A. in Astronomy and Physics (it's one degree) from Boston University, graduated Spring 2019 Research interests: Planetary Atmospheres, Evolution, and Formation Fun Facts: Amateur Jazz Pianist I've built lots of things out of wood from scratch Dissertation Advisor: Randy Gladstone
Michael Velez Education: Cornell University 2019 B.A. Physics w/ Concentration in Astronomy Minor in Computer ScienceUniversity of Texas at San Antonio 2022M.S. Physics Research Interest: Planetary Science Exoplanets Fun Fact: Avid Sports Fan Dissertation Advisor: Kurt Retherford
Michael Starkey Dissertation Title: Ion Instrumentation for Space Physics Applications and Ion Dynamics at Quasi-Perpendicular Shocks Dissertation Advisor: Mihir Desai Fellowships and Recognitions: UTSA Graduate Student Competitive Scholarship Graduation Date: Spring 2021 Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Postdoctoral Researcher at Southwest Research Institute Research Areas: Heliosphysics Solarwind-Magnetosphere Interactions Collision Less Shocks
Sam Slocum Education: BA in Chemistry from OLLU (1996) BS in Mathematics from UTSA (2010) Research Interests: Type IIn Supernovae and Machine Learning Fun Fact(s): I enjoy martial arts and have a black belt in both Kenseido and Northern Shaolin Kung-fu. Dissertation Advisor: Pete Roming
Rhyan Sawyer Education: B.S. Physics, Emporia State University, 2016 Research Interest: Magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause Global plasma dynamics at the earth and outer planets Fellowships and Recognitions: Texas Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellow Thesis Advisor: Stephen Fuselier Candidacy: 2018
Dissertation Title: The Habitability of Ocean Worlds: A Chemical Systems PerspectiveDissertation Advisor: Hunter WaiteFellowships and Recognitions:Texas Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellow, 2017- 2020Best Graduate Student Poster from UTSA College of Sciences Research Conference, 2018American Geophysical Union Outstanding Student Paper Award, 2017 Fall MeetingGraduation Date: Fall 2021Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Southwest Research InstituteCurrent Position: William L. Fisher Congressional Geoscience Fellow, U.S. CongressResearch Interest:Planetary ScienceIcy moonsAstrobiologyScience policy
Education: M.S. Physics, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2021 B.S. Physics, Missouri Southern State University, 2016 Currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Physics with emphasis on Space Physics planning to graduate in 2022. Dissertation Title: Electron Scale Magnetic Reconnection on Earth's Dayside using NASA's MMS mission - emphasis on the transport of energy and momentum from the solar wind into the magnetosphere, electric fields, and reconnection rates. Dissertation Advisor: Stephen Fuselier Research Interest: Magnetic Reconnection on the day side of Earth's Magnetopause Publications: Pritchard, K. R., Burch, J. L., Fuselier, S. A., Webster, J. M., Torbert, R. B., Argall, M. [...]
Juan Munoz Thesis Title: A Comparison of Electron Conics at Jupiter and Earth Thesis Advisor: Frederic AllegriniFellowships and Recognitions: Channel WOAI interviewed me for the total solar eclipse in 2024. Graduation Date: Summer 2024Current Position: Physics Adjunct Faculty at Texas A&M International UniversityResearch Areas: Space Plasma Physics, Jupiter's Magnetosphere, Electron Conics
Kim Moreland Education: B.S. Computer Science, Texas State Univeristy, 2005 B.S. Physics, Texas State University, 2018 Research Interest: Heliophysics Solar Energetic Particles CME driven Interplanetary Shocks Machine Learning Space Weather Forecasting Fun Fact: I love traveling and photography. I enjoy being outdoors, running, hiking, and fishing. Dissertation Advisor: Maher Dayeh Professional Links: Google Scholar
