Julia Plummer

LAST UPDATED IN 1997

Current Educational Status: Graduate Student, University of Michigan Department of Astronomy.

Undergraduate Education:Washington State University, B.S. Physics - Magna Cum Laude, minors in Mathematics, Astronomy, and Philosophy.

MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

• Sigma Xi Research Paper Competition, First Place,WSU Chapter, 1997
• Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research, Observations of the Early Stages of Interacting Galaxies on the Apache Point Observatory 3.5m telescope, 1996
• Hacker Award in Astronomy, WSU Program in Astronomy, 1996.
• Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Exellence in Education Foundation, 1996-1997
• Phi Beta Kappa Scholar, WSU Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, 1996-1997
• FASR Student Research Competition, WSU Faculty Association for Scholarship and Research, 1996
• Clair May Band Scholarship, WSU Department of Physics, 1994 and 1995.
• Potter Memorial Scholarship, WSU Department of Philosophy, 1994 and 1995.
• Bell Freshman Mathematics Scholarship, WSU Department of Mathematics, 1994.
• Glenn Terrell Academic Scholarship, WSU, 1993.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

• American Astronomical Society (Junior Member since 8/95)
• Astronomical Society of the Pacific (Student Member since 9/92)
• Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society (Member since 4/97)

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

• 08/96 - 5/97 P.I.: Dr. Jeff Secker, Program in Astronomy Star Forming Regions of the Tidal Features of Interacting Galaxies
• 08/95 - 5/97 P.I.: Dr. Jeff Secker, Program in Astronomy Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies as Bound Companions in the Coma Cluster
• 01/95 - 05/95 P.I.: Dr. Brad Pate, Department of Physics Morphological Study of Diamond Thin Films using Electron Microscopy

WORK EXPERIENCE

• 09/97 - present Graduate Student Instructor, Department of Astronomy, U of Michigan. Run discussion sessions and labs for introductory astronomy (solar system class).
• 09/97 - present Planetarium Operator, Ruthvan Exhibit Museum, University of Michigan.
• 06/97-8/97 Research Associate, NASA Academy, Goddard Space Flight Center; Principal Investigator: Dr. David Leisawitz; Wrote astronomy text for the Interactive Universe, an educational tool for the World Wide Web.
• 08/94 - 5/97 Astronomy Teaching Assistant, Program in Astronomy, WSU; Employer: Dr. Julie Lutz; Planetarium demonstrator and observatory operator for public and college classes. Assisted in introductory astronomy classes.
• 06/96 - 08/96 Astronomy Research Intern, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Employer: Dr. Christine Jones; Studied the cosmological implications of ROSAT observations of distant galaxy clusters.
• 06/95 - 08/95 Astronomy Research Intern, Lowell Observatory; Employer: Dr. Deidre Hunter; Studied star formation and gas densities in dwarf irregular galaxy Sextans A using IRAF analysis software.
• 1/95-3/95 Astronomy Teaching Assistant, Program in Astronomy, WSU ; Employer: Dr. Thomas Lutz, Dr. Lauren Likkel; Taught two lab sections of an astronomy class for elementary eduacation majors.
• 05/94 - 08/94 Technical Assistant, Department of Physics, WSU; Employer: Dr. Brad Pate; Studied aspects of growing thin diamond films at low pressures by chemical vapor deposition.

OBSERVING EXPERIENCE

09/94 - 5/97 Apache Point Observatory, New Mexico (Remote and On-Site Observing) ARC 3.5m + detectors; Imaging/spectroscopy of planetary nebulae, interacting galaxies, and galaxy clusters.

PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

• "Dwarf Galaxies in the Coma Cluster. II. Photometry and Analysis", J.Secker, W.E. Harris, J.D.Plummer, 1997, PASP, 109, in press
• "Dwarf Ellipticals as Bound Companions in the Coma Cluster", J.D. Plummer, J.Secker, talk given at the 1997 Meeting of the Northwest Astronomers Association
• "Cosmological Implications of ROSAT Observations of Distant Galaxy Clusters", Plummer, J.D., Jones, C., Forman, W., Donnelly, R.H., Rines, K.J. 1996, BAAS, 28, 1317
• "Temperature Distribution of Distant Galaxy Clusters from ASCA Data", Rines, K.J., Churazov, E., Gilfanov, M., Donnelly, R.H., Forman, W., Plummer, J.D. 1996, BAAS, 28, 1317
• "Sextans A: A Case Study of Star Formation and Gas Densities in Irregular Galaxies". Hunter, D. A. Plummer, J. D.1996, ApJ, 462, 732
• "Star Formation and Gas Densities in the Dwarf Irregular Galaxy Sextans A". Plummer, J. D. Hunter, D. A. 1995, BAAS, 27, 1296