Curriculum Vitae
“Often the very people affected are expected to educate others, identify issues, and provide solutions - all on a volunteer basis that distracts from the most important duty: research.
I left my field so I could devote myself to addressing the culture of scientific spaces full time - no need to rely on the free labor of the most junior scientists.”
Dra. Nicole
Equity + Inclusion Experience
CEO + FOUNDER, MOVEMENT CONSULTING — 2017 - PRESENT
Founded a company to help science institutions foster cultures where marginalized people can thrive. Services consist of faculty training, student workshops, tailored programming, personalized mentoring for underrepresented groups, and STEM equity consulting. Clients include Harvard University, Stanford University, Haverford College, University of California - Santa Cruz, Pomona College, University of Copenhagen, and University of Amsterdam.
CO-CHAIR, MEMBER, AAS SITE VISIT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE — 2017 - PRESENT
Design and implement a program that will assess the cultural climate of astronomy departments across the U.S. Duties include setting the agenda for and leading biweekly meetings, writing best practices and procedures documents, developing a rubric for selecting site visit team members, developing and facilitating a training module for the site visit team, and soliciting and implementing feedback from the American Astronomical Society (AAS) inclusion committees.
CO-CHAIR, AAS COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF MINORITIES IN ASTRONOMY — 2016 - PRESENT
Collaborate with team to design new diversity & inclusion initiatives in astronomy community. Develop department recommendations to retain marginalized students, including advising, mentoring, support, training, professional development, and improving workplace climate. Represent organization and lead presentations at meetings, conferences, and events. Co-developed & implemented the AAS Town Hall on Racism in Astronomy for group of 1500+ participants, leading discussions & responding to difficult questions about race.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS ASSISTANT, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY MULTICULTURAL CENTER — 2017
Developed grant proposal materials for a program serving homeless, displaced, and food insecure undergraduate students. Co-facilitated weekly undergraduate discussions about pop culture, identity, and social justice. Mentored undergraduate students, sharing resources, advising, and building relationships.
Mentoring Initiatives
MORENO-HERNQUIST COLLABORATION, POMONA COLLEGE + HARVARD-SMITHSONIAN CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS — 2015 - 2018
Designed new initiatives for Black and Brown undergraduate STEM students conducting research in the Moreno-Hernquist group. Duties included mentoring students as a group and individually, facilitating community discussions, offering career and academic support, and staying in contact remotely. Provided conference guidance (i.e. American Astronomical Society, Society for the Advancement of Chicanx/Latinx and Native Americans in Science), progress evaluations, and reports. Developed Imposter Phenomenon, Workflow Tools for Academia, and Self-Care workshops, leading 20+ participants through activities about navigating white spaces, values affirmation, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
FOUNDER + PRESIDENT + LIAISON, ASTRONOMY PEER ADVISING LEADERS (ASTROPAL) — 2013 - 2016
Developed and launched program that provides mentoring relationships to grad students. Oversaw operations; managed team of volunteers; provided professional mentor training; fostered relationships within university to maximize community impact; drove vision forward; regularly evaluated program to improve performance; strategized new initiatives; set direction of the organization; established monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals.
MENTOR + FACILITATOR, GSU DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY — 2011 - 2016
Assisted undergraduate students in applying for summer research programs, guiding them through the process of searching, writing essays, and obtaining recommendation letters. Mentored 20+ undergrad/grad students on research, presentation skills, time management, and other tools for success in academia. Planned and led department discussions on creating an inclusive workplace.
Public Outreach Experience
CREATOR + FACILITATOR, CREATIVE LESSONS IN ASTRONOMY + SPACE SCIENCE — 2014 - 2015
Designed, organized, and implemented a science field trip on a limited budget for 50 students from Cristo Rey, a private school serving low income families of Metro Atlanta. Recruited astronomers to conduct hands-on astronomy activities, ordered materials, partnered with teachers to plan logistics, and supervised graduate student volunteers.
UNIVERSITY OF GRENOBLE OUFS D’ASTRO, VAULX-EN-VALIN, FRANCE — 2013
Co-operated an exoplanet information booth at a week-long, yearly astronomy public outreach event in a low-income suburb of Lyon, interacting with students of all ages as well as members of the public (conducted in French).
OBSERVATORY ASSISTANT, GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PHYSICS DEPARTMENT — 2008 - 2011
Led public observatory nights for students and Atlanta community. Communicated astronomy information at the public level. Organized and conducted private observing events. Promoted observatory events, including design of informational astronomy posters and fliers for public. Innovated, organized, and conducted a radio show featuring astronomy-themed music and responding to astronomy questions from listeners. Conducted astronomy presentations at elementary schools, including a remote presentation for Abbotsleigh, an all-girls boarding school in Sydney, Australia.
SUMMER PROGRAM ASSISTANT, CENTER FOR EDUCATION INTEGRATING SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND COMPUTING – ATLANTA, GA 2010
Hired graduate instructors for and assisted in conducting summer science seminars for professional development of Atlanta Public School teachers. Designed science laboratory activities for middle school students integrating art, geology, history, and current events in concurrence with the Salvador Dali Exhibit at the High Museum of Art.
PROGRAM ASSISTANT, HI-STAR SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM, HONOLULU, HAWAI’I - 2008
Mentored four Hawaiian students in grades 8 - 11 conducting exoplanet research in a week-long summer program at University of Hawai’i - Manoa. Helped students understand astronomy concepts, analyze previously-collected photometry, and communicate the results. One of the students placed 3rd in the Senior Research Division at the Hawaii State Science Fair in 2008.
Scientific Research
GENDER REPRESENTATION OF CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP ROLES IN ASTROBIOLOGY
RESEARCH COLLABORATION WITH DR. NICOLLE ZELLNER, ALBION COLLEGE — 2017 - PRESENT
Obtain names and assumed binary genders of oral presenters, panelists, keynote speakers, session chairs, moderators, conveners, and organizers of three Origin of Life and Astrobiology conferences: Gordon Research Conference on the Origin of Life (GRC OoL), The International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL), and the Astrobiology Conference (AbSciCon). Our aim is to determine the gender gap between leadership roles and conference attendees in astrobiology and how it has changed over time.
PROPERTIES, ACTIVITY, + PLANET-HOSTING POTENTIAL OF YOUNG SUNS NEAR EARTH
DOCTORAL THESIS, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY + UNIVERSITÉ JOSEPH FOURIER — 2010 - 2017
Obtained simultaneous NIR and optical spectra of young stars in nearby moving groups. We used CSHELL at the NASA IRTF (Hawaii) and SOPHIE at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (France) to obtain our data. Our goal was to compare the NIR and optical spectra to distinguish planets from stellar spots and to assess the feasibility of multi-wavelength spectroscopic planet search surveys.