I am developing a constellation of 300 Cube Satellites to study star death and afterlife by providing all-sky, all-the-time observations. These satellites will detect transient phenomena across the sky to constrain the populations of black holes in the Universe, the rate of supernovae, and the different formation paths of compact objects. My contributions to the CuRIOS project include designing the preliminary optical system and orbital plan, identifying the optimal detector for the mission, creating code and simulations for data analysis and prediction, and organizing a larger team of scientists and engineers. I will characterize the camera used on board each CuRIOS satellite, use simulations to predict the number of black holes, supernovae, and optical counterparts to gamma-ray bursts that will be detected by CuRIOS.
Archives: Explorers
Nour Akiki
I am a 3rd year PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering department at UC Berkeley doing research on a cool Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM) technique called Computed Axial Lithography (CAL). I mainly work on 3D printing recyclable materials on CAL and using non-telecentric (non-parallel) beams to achieve circular economy in industrial mass manufacturing and production in the near future. I enjoy collaborations with other groups and working with Undergraduate Researchers to develop new ideas and discover new findings together. I have a diverse range of hobbies such as hiking, roller blading, nature exploration, boardgames, cultural discoveries, psychology and many more.
Jacqueline R Blaum
Using machine learning, I am working to improve the utilization of eclipsing binary light curves by applying likelihood-free inference (LFI) to infer parameters of these systems. Upon completion of the project, I will apply the neural density estimator (NDE) to millions of eclipsing binaries from various surveys, and I will make the NDE publicly available for future studies.
Sophia Koh
Sophie Koh (she/her) is a PhD student in Electrical Engineering researching sustainability and scalability of organic solar cell fabrication. She grew up in the Washington D.C. area. For undergrad, she attended Amherst College in Massachusetts and studied Physics and Computer Science. She is passionate about solar power, and loves utilizing her technical background to help develop solutions to combat climate change. She is also a strong advocate for underrepresented groups in STEM, and is involved in K-12 STEM outreach. Outside of STEM, she likes to dance, eat good food, shop at Costco, crochet, watch TV, and look after her two cats!
Aishani Saxena
I am a Molecular and Cellular Biology and Mathematics major with a minor in Data Science. I am from a small suburb of Kansas City. My hobbies include dancing, reading mystery novels, cooking new foods, and driving!
Stephen Gant
My work focuses on the use of condensed matter theory to calculate the properties of materials from first principles. Specifically, my work uses a combination density functional theory (DFT) and many body perturbation theory (MBPT) to calculate ground and excited state properties such as lattice and atomic structures, electron density, band structures, and optical absorption spectra of molecules and crystals at zero and finite temperature.
Sangeeta Kumar
I am a senior studying astrophysics at Berkeley. I transferred to Berkeley from my hometown community college, Folsom Lake College. I became interested in astrophysics because I have always wanted to contribute knowledge about our universe and I love to learn. I enjoy swimming, painting, and hanging out with my friends. One of my favorite places I have visited is Venice, Italy.
Jade Pinkenburg
Jade is a second year PhD student in EECS at Berkeley advised by Professor Rikky Muller; he also holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, where he graduated at the top of his EE class. He is broadly interested in developing integrated circuits for biomedical applications, with a particular focus on neuromodulation and cancer therapy. His research aims to harness recent scientific discoveries in neuroscience to develop implantable devices to effectively diagnose and treat medical conditions, as well as to enable doctors and scientists to more easily understand the nervous system and its interactions with disease.
Xiaopei Chen
I’m Xiaopei Chen, a junior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology and minoring in Gender and Women’s Studies. I am currently a participant in the Clark Lab within the Bioengineering Department. Working with postdoc mentor Seung Won Shin, my focus centers on the optimization of single-cell sequencing workflows. Our current endeavor aims to develop single-cell reaction compartments that allows for more complex PCR processes, such as Overlap Extension PCR and Near Full-Length PCR. We hope to provide researchers with accessible molecular toolkits, empowering them to unravel intricate biological queries. Aside from academics, I enjoy doing urban and portrait photography.
Jiwoon Hwang
I am a marine microbial biogeochemist, interested in learning about how small creatures in the ocean help build the marine ecosystem and cycle carbon as well as other nutrients. I work on timescales that range from the beginning of the Holocene to the current millennium, and on samples that come anywhere from the surface to the bottom of the ocean. My passion stems from a lifelong concern about our climate, and always am down for a good chat about how we can make things right. Apart from science, I also love the outdoors and am an avid tennis player.