Agenda:
7:00 - 7:15 General Meeting & Announcements
7:15 - 7:30 Members Corner:
7:30 - 7:45 Refreshment break
7:45 - Public Presentation
Speaker: Dr. Fernando Cruz Aguirre
Topic: Exoplanet Formation and Atmospheres
I am an Assistant Scientist in the Department of Astronomy, and a member of the Hoadley Ultraviolet Space Laboratory (HUSL). I received my PhD in Astrophysical and Planetary Science at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where my thesis focused on the FUV radiation environments around FGKM dwarf stars. As a graduate student, I led the build-up, calibration, launch, and data analysis of the second flight of the SISTINE sounding rocket payload, and I simultaneously led a large archival HST program to recover obscured FUV emission from ~100 main sequence FGKM dwarf stars. With a growing interest in formulating (and eventually leading) next generation UV astrophysics missions, I applied and was accepted into the inaugural Astrophysics Mission Design School through NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We developed a $1B UV Astrophysics Probe concept, where I served as both the Co-Objective Lead on differentiating between Type Ia supernovae progenitors and the Propulsion Lead. As a postdoc at the University of Iowa, I gained expertise in optical system design, grating fabrication and characterization, and modeling H2 fluorescence spectra from protoplanetary disks and molecular clouds. I was also involved with UV missions such as FIREBall-2 and Aspera, each at various stages of mission implementation. At the University of Florida, I am involved with the formulation of two UV technology development programs; I serve as the Instrument Scientist for the Ultraviolet Type Ia (UVIa) CubeSat/SmallSat mission concept and as the PI for the Coronal Radiation of Active F-Type Stars (CRAFTS) sounding rocket mission concept.
Education
- PhD, Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2023
- MS, Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2020
- BS, Physics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2018
Research
My primary research interests focus on the impacts of stellar X-ray and Ultraviolet (XUV) radiation on exoplanet atmospheres, and the subsequent impact on exoplanet habitability. Many atomic and molecular species present in upper planetary atmospheres have strong photochemical reactions with XUV emission originating from their host stars. Stars of different spectral types have vastly different XUV radiation environments, resulting in different photochemical effects and thus atmospheric composition and structure. As we enter a new era of habitable exoplanet characterization, it is critical to contextualize atmospheric signatures with the high energy spectrum of their host stars.
Areas of Study
- Low Mass Stars
- Ultraviolet Instrumentation
- Star-Exoplanet Interaction
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Member's Corner Speaker: Orlando Barros
Topic: H.H. Ninninger, Master of Meteorites
