Desiree Harvell

I am currently in my last semester of my undergraduate degree in physics with a concentration in astronomy. I aim to apply for a masters in data science in order to attain a career in data science on an academic or industrial basis.

• Research Assistant- Advanced Functional Materials Lab - 1year 9months 

This position entailed preparing and  testing the ferroelectricity of various polycrystals at temperatures ranging from 298-423 degrees kelvin. I mainly specialized in testing,  capacitors, potassium dihydrogen phosphate(KDP), and triglycine sulfate (TGS).  These results were presented at SCCUR conference in 2021

• Summer Research Assistant- UC San Diego- 3 months 

This entailed working with the Shack Hartmann Wavefront Sensor, as well as building a small adaptive optics system using a collimated laser beam, focal lenses, polarizers and ensuring adjusting each degree of freedom allowed for precise to eliminate aberrations in the sensor. Testing the efficiency of the wavefront sensor, as well as ensuring the various Zernike mode aberrations are within nanometers of precision. These results were presented at the UC San Diego Annual summer research conference in 2021.

• Summer Research Assistant- Carnegie Observatories-3 Months

This entailed using python code and data visualization techniques to confirm or deny the existence of Helium in Type Ic supernovae, as the classification of such are defined by this feature. This sets them a part from Type Ib as these contain Helium. We used Type Ib simulated ejecta data, to  produce Type Ic spectra data by manipulating the amount of radioactive nickel in the ejecta elemental profile.  This is important as the nickel is a source of photons, in which allows for the spectra to be produced. This was uploaded into radiative transport program ran by a supercomputer in the facility. I was able to to present my results at the American Astronomical Society Conference in Seattle in January of 2023.

• Learning Assistant- 2021 (5 months)

I tutored students in physics and astronomy

• Research assistant -NASA research in Drones - 5 months (Mainly drone pendulum measurements)
• Research assistant- Martian Atmosphere- 5 months (I analyzed Martian atmospheric data/ data entry into a database)

Currently Pursuing a Bachelor's In Science in Physics with a concentration  in Astronomy

High School Diploma