AstroPAL

MEET THE ASTROPALs

As AstroPALs, we're dedicated to providing incoming graduate students with the information and support they need to succeed (and enjoy life!) in the GSU Astronomy department. Below is a little information about this year's group of peer mentors. We hope each profile will give you a glimpse into our lives and make you more comfortable coming to us with questions, complaints, or thoughts about the department, academics, research, the city, or anything else on your mind. We're all involved in AstroPAL because we enjoy it and we want you to benefit from our experiences (and myriad mistakes!), so please seek us out.

Andrew Couperus (6th year grad)

Office: 25 Park Place, 6th Floor Cubicles
Email: acouperus1@gsu.edu
Advisor: Todd Henry
Research interests: low-mass stars (long-term variability, magnetic activity, rotation)
Research techniques: photometry, spectroscopy, light curves, MCMC + Gaussian Processes, x-rays
Programming language of choice: Python!
I should be your first stop for: Fun facts. Metal cover recommendations. Information about high-quality warm socks. Friendly conversations about climate change and climate grief, mental health, sleep hygiene, meditation, work-life balance
Hobbies beyond work: PC gaming, fantasy novels, cooking, running, photography, hiking, learning
Random advice for new grad students: Take your mental and physical health seriously during grad school (and always). Ask for help, be it academic or personal. Take a break, do things you find relaxing or fulfilling. Be authentic to yourself in the choices you make. Form connections and try to establish a positive support network if you don't have one.
Favorite places to work outside the office: Desktop at home (I WFH a lot)
Know your neighbors! Andrew lives in: NE Atlanta, near Emory

Mary Geer Dethero (5th year grad)

Mary Geer standing outside with an adorable puppy

AstroPAL Co-President

Office: 25 Park Place
Email: mdethero1 @ gsu.edu
Advisor: Jane Pratt
Research interests: Stellar evolution, fluid dynamics of stellar interiors
Research techniques: Programming hydrodynamic simulations of stars, data analysis, typing long equations into LaTeX...
Programming language of choice: Python and Fortran
I should be your first stop for: Talking about how stars work, taking coffee breaks, getting codes to run
Hobbies beyond work: Yoga, frequenting Piedmont Park/The Beltline, painting, crosswords, photography, going out for a coffee or drink
Random advice for new grad students: Find a support system, identify mentors, and ask questions. You aren't here by accident. You can do this!
Favorite places to work outside the office: Dancing Goats Coffee, Atlanta History Center
Know your neighbors! MG lives in: Midtown ATL

Becky Flores (5th year grad)

Becky sitting with her elegant cat Benji

AstroPAL Co-President

Office: 25 Park Place
Email: flores @ astro
Advisor: Russel White
Research interests: Stellar sizes and masses, binaries, red dwarfs, main-sequence stars
Research techniques: Interferometry at CHARA (CLASSIC, MIRC-X/Mystic, and a little bit of PAVO).
Programming language of choice: Python
I should be your first stop for: someone to vent to about school or personal stuff (roommates, family, personal relationships), if you're having imposter syndrome, if you need someone/help to advocate for you, and coffee breaks.
Hobbies beyond work: gym newbie, playing piano, reading, cooking, naps with my cat Benji, watching spooky shows/movies.
Random advice for new grad students: try to find a support system OUTSIDE of the department. This can be done with other field-related organizations, keeping in contact with friends at other grad schools, getting involved with other school organizations. Get comfortable asking for help (whether it's with school or personal stuff) from your professors, advisor, or us. Took me a while, and asking through email first helped since I was shy. Lastly, prioritize your needs over deadlines.
Favorite places to work outside the office: a coffee shop.
Know your neighbors! Becky lives in: East Atlanta, previously Buckhead area.

Fallon Konow (4th year grad)

Fallon hiking along the coast on a sunny day.

Office: 25 Park Place (the office right across from Russel), but virtually for the time being
Email: konow1@gsu.edu
Advisor: Stuart Jefferies
Research interests: Solar flares/ solar physics, instrumentation, space weather
Research techniques: ground based instrument building/aligning/observing, Doppler and magnetic field imaging, computer modeling
Programming language of choice: Python and IDL
I should be your first stop for: if you want to form an intramural team of any kind, chatting about the Sun, outreach opportunities, a good venting session about anything and everything
Hobbies beyond work:sports (especially volleyball and water polo), reading (of the fantasy/sci-fi and romance persuasion), hiking/camping, watching terrible TV, baking
Random advice for new grad students: Don’t be afraid to say you don’t understand something and ask for help; even from your advisor. The most useful phrase I finally got the courage to use was “I am confused. Why…?” Take some time to do some relax and do things that have absolutely nothing to do school/work.
Favorite places to work outside the office: in the lab
Know your neighbors! Fallon lives in: Either Pasadena, Rome, or Atlanta (specifically Glenwood Park), but only a message away!

Varun M. Chaturmutha (4th year grad)

Varun standing on a rooftop in the city.

Office: 1 Park Place 716
Email: varun @ astro
Advisor: Stuart Jefferies (external: Bernhard Fleck)
Research interests: helioseismology, acoustic-gravity waves, dynamics of the solar atmosphere
Research techniques:Fourier analysis, handling big data, and optimization
Programming language of choice: By Choice: Python; By Force: Fortran, IDL
I should be your first stop for: debugging your Python (or MATLAB) code and Linux issues, math/physics discussions or doubts, and sharing good news!
Hobbies beyond work: chess, board games, hiking
Carefully considered, not-very-random advice for new grad students: Don't underestimate the power of a well-rested and well-fed body. It is okay to be not good at something. Don't be afraid to take a day off in the week.
Favorite places to work outside the office: Haven't found any yet
Know your neighbors! Varun lives in: Home Park

Dan Johns (4th year grad)

Office: 25 Park Place
Email: djohns5 @ gsu [dot] edu
Advisor: Fabien Baron, Stuart Jeffries
Research interests: Wavefront sensing technology/techniques, Image reconstruction techniques, and Spotted Stars
Research techniques: Speckle imaging, Instrumentation, Interferometry, Doppler Imaging
Programming language of choice: Julia, not python
I should be your first stop for: Coding in Julia, which concerts to go to, someone to get boba with, talking about music
Hobbies beyond work: Hiking, taking my dog to the park, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, watching horror movies/shows, collecting records
Random advice for new grad students: Don't limit yourself to one advisor right away. Make sure to meet everyone and know what they're doing. You may end up switching in the future!
Favorite places to work outside the office: I don't work outside the office
Know your neighbors! Dan lives in: Decatur, near the Avondale station

Aman Kar (4th year grad)

Office: 1PP #716
Email: akar5 @ gsu.edu
Advisor: Todd Henry
Research interests: Low-mass stars, Flares, Rotation, Cycles, Magnetism, Exoplanet Hosts.
Research techniques: Ground based / space based photometry and spectroscopy
Programming language of choice: python always.py
I should be your first stop for: Needing a ride / Getting a drink / Debating about anything
Hobbies beyond work: Walking around ATL, Long drives around GA, Tasting local breweries.
Random advice for new grad students: You can swap your weekends for weekdays. This means if you want to take Wednesdays off, you can work on Saturday instead. Basically you can work whenever you want. If you get stuck on anything (living in ATL problems, classes, homework, research) ask a grad student. Chances are they had the exact same problem before you.
Favorite places to work outside the office: Piedmont Park / GSU Library
Know your neighbors! Aman lives in: Midtown