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Osterbrock Fellows

Madelyn Broome

Madelyn earned her bachelor's in Astrophysics from Princeton in 2019 and master's from Cambridge the following year. She currently works as a Cota-Robles and ARCS fellow on exoplanet theory with Ruth Murray-Clay at UC Santa Cruz. Her lifelong commitment to excite, engage, and elevate historically-excluded learners in STEM takes many forms, from outreach and designing research-based inclusive pedagogy, to mentoring and making physics accessible to the general public through science writing. She has written for a variety of publications and currently co-runs the university's Ask an Astronomer account. As an Osterbrock fellow, in collaboration with the UCSC American Indian Resource Center, she founded the Indigenous Star Stories Night for indigenous high schoolers and their families at UCO Lick Observatory. Outside of teaching and research, she can be found doing some sort of athletics, coaching for the university rugby team, or watching films and arts performances.

Matt DeMartino

Matthew DeMartino graduated from Cornell University through a Naval ROTC scholarship with a bachelor's degree in computer science. Immediately following graduation, Matthew reported to Pensacola, FL to begin flight school and went on to serve 20 years in the US Navy as a carrier Naval Aviator flying various aircraft, including the FA-18F Super Hornet. Some of his other Navy assignments include working at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) managing the design and operation of national asset space systems, serving as a Congressional Liaison, working with Congress to defend budget requests in the context of the Intelligence Community, and as a flight instructor training the next generation of carrier Naval Aviators. Matthew’s operational deployments include assignments to Japan and Bahrain. Following his career in the Navy, Matthew decided to pursue a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics. He is currently researching both the large-scale structure of the universe as a sponsored member of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey and cutting edge astrophotonic instrumentation, where he has designed a platform for astrophotonic testing at Lick Observatory that is being used by several research groups for on-sky data collection. Matthew hopes to continue to hone his leadership skills and to understand better the intersection of science and public policy through his involvement in the Osterbrock Leadership Program.

Jordan Diaz

Jordan Diaz is a second-year Ph.D. student and a Cota-Robles Fellow in the Astronomy & Astrophysics Department at UC Santa Cruz. Born in San Diego and raised in Playas de Rosarito, he pursued a B.S. in Physics at the Autonomous University of Baja California and an M.Sc. in Optics at the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada. His fascination for astronomy and optics led him to find the field of astronomical instrumentation as the vertex where these two passions could meet. Currently, he works with Prof. Rebecca Jensen-Clem on developing high-contrast instrumentation for direct imaging of exoplanets. Mainly, he is interested in contributing to the rising field of astrophotonics, for which he is developing an all-fiber-based nulling interferometer and investigating the use of photonic lanterns for wavefront sensing. Through his academic experience, he realized that as a scientist, his responsibility is not only to conduct research but also to bridge the gap between science and society. As an Osterbrock Fellow, he hopes to develop the leadership, management, and communication skills required to contribute to the advancement of building a more equitable field for students from diverse backgrounds.

Joseph Murphy

I am a third-year graduate student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow working with Professor Natalie Batalha. My research interests include exoplanet detection and characterization as well as applications of statistical methods. Prior to joining the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, I received my B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics from Stanford University, where I conducted research with Bruce Macintosh and Ian Czekala. As an observer, I make frequent use of the Keck I telescope on Maunakea to obtain precision Doppler measurements of exoplanet-hosting stars. However, as a member of the Native Hawaiian community, my work in observational astronomy evokes a sense of duality on issues of land use and science policy. Through the Osterbrock Leadership Program, I hope to learn more about my own identity and use my personal experience as a vehicle for greater empathy, understanding, and improved communication.

César Rojas-Bravo

I was born and raised in Costa Rica, in Central America. I obtained undergraduate degrees in Physics and Classical Philology at Universidad de Costa Rica, and have lived abroad in Barcelona and Brazil, which overall has helped me to have an open mind, to enjoy different cultures. In 2017 I started the Ph.D. program in Astronomy at UCSC, pursuing my dreams, where I do exciting supernova cosmology research with Ryan Foley and David Jones. I was involved in the kilonova discovery in August 2017, and that granted me some exposure in Costa Rica. This made me realize I could be a great example for future Costa Rican scientists. Therefore, when I heard about the Osterbrock Leadership Program, I immediately knew it would be a great opportunity to enhance my leadership skills. I also desire to help the Latinamerican community in the United States: I've been providing Spanish translations to astronomical material of Lick Observatory, and have participated in multiple Noche de las Estrellas, a special Lick Observatory visitors night for the Spanish-speaking community.

Alejandra Rosselli-Calderon

Alejandra Rosselli-Calderon is an Astronomy and Astrophysics PhD student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She works along with Prof. Enrico Ramirez Ruiz in high energy astrophysics theory, developing numerical simulations of transients and other exotic astronomical events. She was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia and moved to the United States to pursue higher education. She earned a B.A. with highest honors in physics from Clark University and a M.S. in physics from Brown University before moving to the west coast. Apart from research, Alejandra works to be an advocate for gender and racial diversity in astronomy and physics. She is passionate about education and active learning techniques to make science learning more engaging at all different ages. At UCSC, she is part of the Physics Mentoring Program and La Noche de las Estrellas outreach initiative at the Lick Observatory.

Dominic Sanchez

I am a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics working with Professor Philip Hinz. I graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Optical Science and Engineering. Before attending UCSC, I designed an optical subsystem for a biomolecule purification device at Bio-Rad Laboratories and optimized a super-resolution imager for Ball Aerospace as an undergraduate student. My current research interest is to develop astronomical instrumentation for exoplanet detection and characterization. Our team developed a novel wavefront sensor in the UCSC Laboratory for Adaptive Optics and we are currently testing this device in the Shane Telescope at Lick Observatory. Additionally, my research interests include projects in optical metrology for large aperture adaptive secondary mirrors and developing polarimeters for exoplanet science. Through this Osterbrock program, I hope to develop leadership skills to become an effective instrument of change for my community, especially for low-income students. In my free time, I enjoy fishing, camping, and archery.

Nicholas Scarsdale

I am a third year graduate student at UC Santa Cruz advised by Natalie Batalha. My interests are in all things astrobiology. Currently I am focused on preparing for JWST observations of small planets, ongoing followup of TESS planet candidates, and detailed climate modeling of warm exoplanets. Previously as an undergraduate at Penn, I studied optically-complex cellular structures in the Tridacna genus of clams that helped their symbiotic algae photosynthesize.
Having previously considered a career in politics, I am very excited to learn more about all things policy through the Osterbrock program. I am also an active advocate for stronger structural protection for early career scientists (particularly grad students), essential to maintaining a strong and diverse astronomy community, and I hope the Osterbrock program will help me develop skills to become a more effective advocate for that cause.
Outside of academia, my interests include trying to achieve my annual goal of listening to a new album of music every day, rock climbing, fantasy roleplaying games, and most recently voice lessons to improve my karaoke skills.

Vivian Tang

Rosa Wallace Everson

Rosa Wallace Everson is a NSF Graduate Fellow, Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow, and Osterbrock Fellow in Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, where she studies the evolution of interacting binary stars using semi-analytical and numerical methods, with a focus on common envelope evolution. With Bachelors degrees in both Theatre and Physics, she spent nearly a decade as a professional musician and performing artist prior to training as a scientist. Rosa seeks to integrate her broad experience to bridge science and society, advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, and inspire and support the next generation of researchers. Recent successes include leading the effort to craft and pass the 2016 Society of Physics Students Statement on Diversity and Inclusivity, which encourages inclusion, support, and retention in undergraduate physics departments on the national level, as well as founding the Osterbrock/Women in Physics and Astrophysics Bridge Scholarship at UC Santa Cruz, which assists undergraduate women and minorities in STEM by directly reducing the financial burden of the graduate school application process.

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