About Ashley

Tololo, May 2011

I grew up in a suburb outside Houston, TX, did my undergrad work at Texas A&M University in Math and Physics, and then moved one state (and an entire culture) away to do my graduate work at LSU, studying various explosive transient phenomena with Brad Schaefer (see Research for more details). After finishing grad school, I spent five years doing a postdoc at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC, where unfortunately the dinosaurs do not come alive at night. I'm now an Assistant Professor at the College of Charleston, in South Carolina, teaching physics and astronomy and continuing my research with a small group of undergrads. I love proper observing at the telescope, as well as talking about science to all audiences, from middle school students to the general public to other researchers. In my elusive spare time, I enjoy knitting, live music, podcasts, photography, cooking & baking, hiking, and watching TV, although not all at once.

Brief Educational Summary:
Ph.D., Physics, Louisiana State University, May 2012
M.S., Physics, Louisiana State University, May 2010
B.A., Physics, Texas A&M University, May 2007
B.A., Mathematics, Texas A&M University, May 2007

On-Site Observing Experience:
MDM Observatory 2.4m (CCD photometry & spectroscopy)
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 1m (CCD photometry)
Kitt Peak National Observatory 0.9m (CCD photometry)
McDonald Observatory 2.1m and 0.8m ( CCD photometry)
Highland Road Park Observatory 16" and 20" (CCD photometry, visual observations)
Harvard College Observatory (archival plates)
Sonneberg Observatory (archival plates)

Queue/Remote Observing Experience:
Swift UVOT (photometry) and XRT (photometry and spectroscopy)
Hubble Space Telescope ACS, WFPC2, and WFC3 (optical photometry)
Gemini GMOS-S (optical CCD photometry and spectroscopy)
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 1.3m (CCD photometry, optical and near-IR)