About Me

Image: Home setup for my virtual dissertation defense on December 21, 2020.

Education:
Proud Chicana born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I am an observational astrophysicist, which means I use telescopes and other instruments to study the universe. I am a former recipient of the NASA OSTEM MUREP Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellowship (read more about Dr. Jenkins here). I am a first-generation college graduate. I obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Texas at San Antonio (December 2013).  I am a former student of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program, where I earned a Master of Arts degree in physics from Fisk University (May 2017) and a PhD in astrophysics (March 2021), advised by Dr. Keivan Stassun (Vanderbilt University) and mentored by Dr. Rodolfo Montez Jr. (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and  Dr. Padi Boyd (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).

Interviews:
 "Scientist of the Month" | CRESST II , February 2023.
 "First a Bridge Program Graduate, Now a NASA Astrophysicist" | APS News , January 2023.
 Early Career Spotlight | NASA Sciences and Exploration Directorate , October 2022.
 "Ver Oportunidades En El Fracaso Y Persistir" | Animal MX  , September 2022.
 Alumni Spotlight | UTSA College of Sciences , December 2020.

Fun Fact: I am a Nine Inch Nails  fan! Check out some of my favorite songs below.

Research

Image: Sharing my research with my buddy and Biomedical Engineer, Isom Kelly, at the Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program’s Research Celebration Day, August 2015.

Publications: ADS Listing

Current Project: Simultanous Multiwavelength Observations of M Dwarf Stars
flares light curve gif The gif shows an animation, and TESS light curve, of a well know M-dwarf star AU-Mic, showing star spot modulation and flares. Credit: NASA/JPL
Most M dwarfs exhibit high levels of activity in the form of flares and coronal mass ejections due to magnetic reconnection processes. This energetic activity may subject planets, orbiting around them, to significantly more radiation than we receive from the Sun. Just how much this affects a planet’s potential habitability remains unclear. My team and I are using ultraviolet and X-ray observations from Swift, combined with simultaneous TESS 20-second cadence optical data, as well as with X-ray observations from NICER, to proving valuable information about our understanding of flare physics. Using such high-cadence data has allowed us to more accurately assess flare energy partition and estimate the overall energy output of a flaring star, allowing us to investigate relationships between optical, UV, and X-ray activity for low mass stars and their effect on planet atmospheres.

Dissertation Project: RV Tauri Variables
RVb light curve gif The gif shows an animation, and AAVSO light curve, of the second brightest RV Tauri variable, U Monocerotis, a system of a pulsating post-AGB star and smaller stellar companion orbiting each other within a large circumbinary disk of dust. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (USRA/GESTAR)
The light curve shows the evolved star's deep and shallow minima due to pulsations, as well as the pulsating star being eclipsed by the disk, also known as the RVb phenomonon.
RV Tauri variables are luminous pulsating supergiant stars (~10^3 Lsun) with pulsation periods between ~20--150 days and extend the period--luminosity relation of Type II Classical Cepheids. In addition to pulsational variability, a subset of RV Tauri stars (the RVb-type) exhibits a longer periodic modulation in brightness ranging between ~470 and 2800 days. It has been argued that RV Tauri variables are a subclass of post-asymptotic giant branch objects, evolved from low-to-intermediate mass stars. However, their evolution is not so simple. The majority, if not all, are in binary systems surrounded by a circumbinary disk. Though binarity has been shown to play a key role in the dynamics and evolution of these old systems, the interconnection between the various physical processes remains poorly understood. My dissertation focused on the multiwavelength observational analysis of two archetypal RVb systems, DF Cygni and U Monocerotis. In these two systems we found evidence for disk obscuration, binary interaction, and disk evolution. I also showed how ultraprecise Kepler telescope observations of DF Cygni, the only RV Tauri system in Kepler's original field-of-view, demonstrates that the periodic photometric RVb phenomenon is linked to disk obscuration of the pulsating star. I also introduced observations spanning the largest coverage of the electromagnetic spectrum (X-ray to millimeter) and longest temporal baseline of the RVb system U Monocerotis, which also becomes the first RV Tauri system detected in X-rays, using XMM-Newton. This has opened new possibilities for considering X-rays in forthcoming studies to place further constraints and a deeper understanding of magnetism and accretion of these evolved binary systems.

Research Group

Image: Flares Group at NASA Goddard

About:
This page is under construction.

Community

Astronomy Outreach:
I enjoy volunteering as a visiting astronomer at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. In the past, I have conducted a monthly Astronomy Chat, where I interact with museum-visitors of all ages, and chat about astronomy, my research, and share what it is like to be an astronomer. Image: Familia Day at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum with Jorge Padial, Crisel Suarez, Iban Ibañez Domenech, September 2019.

Toastmasters International:
Through a worldwide network of clubs, you can practice public speaking and leadership skills in a friendly, supportive environment. As a proud Toastmaster since October 2013, I have been a part of UTSA Roadrunner Toastmasters, Vanderbilt Toastmasters, and since 2017, a member of NASA Goddard Toastmasters, where I am serving as the 2022-2023 VP of Public Relations. We meet every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month on Microsoft Teams (go to our website for meeting link). Though we are not an 'Open' club, you are welcome to come to a meeting (as my guest), to learn more about Toastmasters.