Margaret Moerchen

Curriculum Vitae

Picture of Margaret Moerchen

Printable Version of the CV (PDF)

Interests

My research interests lie in circumstellar disks and development of IR instrumentation.

Education

2005 - Present

Ph.D. Candidate, Astronomy ; expected completion August 2008
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA

2003 - 2005

M.S., Astronomy
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

1997 - 2001

B.A., Astronomy
University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA

Honors & Fellowships

2005 - Present

Michelson Science Center Graduate Fellow
Competitively awarded fellowship for 3 years of graduate study in a field related to exoplanetary science

1999- 2000

University of Texas Undergraduate Research Fellow
Two 1-semester competitive grants for undergraduate research

1997 - 2001

National Merit Scholar, University of Texas
Competitively awarded scholarship for 4 years of undergraduate study

Previous Academic Employment

2002- 2003

Research Assistant; Supervisor: John Lacy
University of Texas at Austin

Performed structural analysis calculations for a mid-infrared instrument, Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrometer (EXES), to be used in an airborne facility, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Created and edited CAD drawings for composite parts.

Memberships

American Astonomical Society

CanariCam Instrument Team

CanariCam Science Team

Teaching Experience

Fall 2007

Content Reviewer, Let's Talk Science! Project

Solely responsible for reviewing content and accuracy of space science curriculum used for increasing the scientific expertise of state elementary school teachers.

2004 - 2005

Public Night Coordinator, Campus Teaching Observatory

Led weekly open house events at the university observatory. Conducted talks for special visiting groups from the community.

2003 - 2004

Teaching Assistant, Astronomy Laboratory

Conducted weekly lectures and supervised lab experiments for four semesters of an astronomy course for undergraduates in non-science majors. Held regular office hours and graded lab reports.

Workshops Attended

July 2006

Frontiers of Interferometry: Stars, Disks & Planets
Michelson Science Center, California Institute of Technology

August 2002

Summer School on Adaptive Optics
Center for Adaptive Optics, University of California at Santa Cruz

Other Activities

2005 - Present

Student-Faculty Liaison, Graduate Astronomy Organization

Acted as liaison between graduate student body and faculty.