• What is your area of research or scholarship? My area of research is spaceflight instrumentation and X-ray astronomy of the hot Galactic halo.
• In simple terms, why does this research matter? Everything we can see in the universe, all of the stars and planets and people, only makes up half of the matter that should be present. Through X-ray astronomy and small satellites, astronomers hope to locate this missing matter, to provide an answer to a core astrophysical question and better understand the big concepts of cosmology and galaxy formation.
• What is your degree program and expected graduate date?
I am majoring in astronomy, physics, and English Creative Writing. I expect to graduate in May 2020.
• Hometown: Spirit Lake, Iowa
• Faculty mentor/advisor: Dr. Philip Kaaret
• What are your career goals? As a future researching astrophysicist, I plan to earn my Ph.D. in astrophysics and pursue a career utilizing observational astronomy and spaceflight instrumentation to answer core astronomical questions.

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