Anthony is a senior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, completing his bachelors of science in Computer Science. He was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and graduated from Kalani High School. He is currently a member of the Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentorship Program (NHSEMP) at UH Manoa. When he graduates, he hopes to continue doing work in Hawaii in the computer science field. In his free time he enjoys going to the gym and going out with friends.
Home Island: Big Island Hawai’i
High School: Kalani High School
Institution when accepted: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Project Site: W. M. Keck Observatory, Waimea, Big Island HI
Mentor: Max Brodheim
Project Title: Improving the Atmospheric Correction Model for Keck’s Data Reduction Pipeline
Project Abstract: The Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) is an integral-field spectrograph used at the W. M. Keck Observatory for identifying and classifying the spectral features of celestial objects. KCWI collects raw spectral data that needs to be processed through the KCWI Data Reduction Pipeline (KCWI_DRP) package in order for the data to be useful to researchers. One of the many steps of processing raw spectra into reduced data is the correction of the wavelength offset created when light passes from the vacuum of space into Earth’s atmosphere. The current wavelength correction routine in the KCWI_DRP package calculates vacuum wavelengths using fixed values for atmospheric parameters such as temperature, humidity, and pressure, that do not match the typical atmospheric conditions found on Maunakea. However, recent additions of new meteorology sensors and archiving capabilities at the observatory allows for the collection of real time information about the atmosphere. This project aims to implement an improved model, written in Python, that utilizes these new measurements for more accurate wavelength corrections. The improved corrections have been verified by staff astronomers at Keck and will be tested against Hubble Space Telescope spectra, ensuring the difference is within a margin of error to be determined by the instrument scientists. Additionally, improvements were made to the algorithms used to resample the adjusted spectra onto a standardized wavelength grid.