Allison is from Honolulu, Hawaiāi, where she graduated from āIolani School in 2023. She is currently studying computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a focus on its applications in the astronomy and aerospace fields. She enjoys working with campus groups to organize educational programs for high school students, and in her free time, she also loves to knit, write, and listen to audiobooks.
Home Island: Hawai’i Island
High School: āIolani School
InstitutionĀ when accepted: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Project Title:Ā Building a Photometric Pipeline for the Nickel Telescope
Project Site: University of California Observatories, UCO, Santa Cruz CA
Mentor: Kyle Westfall
Project Abstract:
The University of California Observatoriesā Nickel telescope is used by both scientists and students to conduct research on astronomical objects such as supernovae, which must be identified quickly enough for further study. In order to process data from the telescope, however, observers currently use software that is developed for either very large, specialized projects or very broad, flexible use cases. This makes data processing tasks difficult to perform, particularly for first time users. In addition, the science camera on the Nickel telescope is being replaced, which will change its performance and will likely interfere with pipelines currently in use. In this project, we have developed a data processing pipeline tailored to the Nickel Telescope that can both process images and analyze the performance of this new science camera. We combine new software with open source packages and scripts developed by previous users into a single Python package that performs basic data reduction, photometric calibration, astrometric calibration, and image quality analysis. We also use images taken by the current Nickel science camera to test results and measure the cameraās image quality. Thus, we can ensure that the pipelineās accuracy is similar to established software, and verify that it is streamlined enough for new users of the Nickel Telescope to quickly understand and utilize it.