Katrina was born and raised on Maui, and graduated from Baldwin HS in 2010. She will graduate in Spring 2015 from UH Manoa with a BS in Computer Science. Afterward, Katrina plans to start her career as a software engineer, and hopes to work with an organization that encourages young women to choose STEM careers.
Home Island: Maui
High School: Baldwin HS
Institute when accepted: UH Manoa
Atmospheric Modeling for Daytime Telescopic Observation
Project Site: Oceanit
Mentor: Rita Cognion
Telescope placement is exceptionally important for observations in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) outside of the Earth’s atmosphere from the ground. Optimal placement for an SWIR telescope has limited atmospheric radiance and high transmittance in the wavelengths of interest. Using atmospheric modeling software MODTRAN (MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission), we will be able to characterize candidate locations for tracking geosynchronous satellites in the daytime. Radiosonde data and other site specific information will be simulated from the visible to the near IR, 0.3 to 5.0 microns, using a set of look angles and times of day for each location. This data will be run through three MODTRAN models: mid-winter latitude, user-specified with real weather and radiosonde data, and a user-specified model that includes additional atmospheric data taken from the mid-winter latitude results. These three results will be compared to actual measurements to see which model is most accurate. Then, site data will be compared based on atmospheric quality of the location and how many days out of the year it is usable. These analyses will support the decision-making process for future telescope deployment.