Scientific Research          

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Detecting Exoplanet Transits with Mid-Sized Telescopes Utilizing CCD Photometry | 2016 - 2017

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Utilizing a CCD camera and Maxim DL, Kylie was able to detect transiting exoplanets through a 24” telescope through differential photometry. This project qualified her as a finalist at the Intel ISEF 2017.

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An Analysis of Gravitational Microlensing Events Lacking a Baseline Magnitude | 2017 - 2018

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Working with Dr. Rosanne Di Stefano of the Harvard CfA, Kylie analyzed data from OGLE-IV, VizieR, and PanSTARRS to determine the lenses of mysterious microlensing events that lack a baseline magnitude. This project earned her the title of STS Scholar.

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Studying the chemical makeup of stars in Sculptor: Dwarf Galaxies as potential pieces of the Milky Way puzzle | Summer 2019

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Working with Prof. Anna Frebel and her grad student Ani Chiti at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (MKI), Kylie developed a method of deriving the metallicities of stars with low-resolution spectra. Her method involved comparing the data to models using python. Her method was able to provide results on par with traditional methods that require high-resolution spectra. She gave a talk on this research at SMURF (Summer MKI Undergraduate Research Forum).

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A New Metal-Poor Population in the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy | Fall 2019 - Spring 2020

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During the summer of 2019, graduate student Ani Chiti discovered a population of metal-poor stars in the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy that more than quadrupled the amount of known metal-poor stars in that galaxy. Kylie performed the analysis of the data and is a co-author on the resulting paper.

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Modeling Galaxy Clusters using GALAPAGOS-C | Summer 2020 - Spring 2021

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Working with Prof. Michael McDonald remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kylie learned how to work GALAPAGOS-C, software written in C that utilizes Galfit and SExtractor to model galaxies. This work is the first step in a larger project studying the evolution of galaxy clusters. 

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Studying the BHAC to SFR Ratio of Giant Elliptical Galaxies | Spring 2021

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Working with Prof. Michael McDonald, Kylie derived the star formation rates of galaxies in the MASSIVE survey using 2D spectra. The background of the spectra were modeled using ppxf before being subtracted from the data. This project was a follow-up to a previous finding of enhanced black hole accretion. 

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Development of the Fast Readout Mode of the Palomar Gattini-IR Telescope | Summer 2021 - Summer 2022

Working with Dr. Kishalay De in Prof. Mansi Kasliwal's group at Caltech, Kylie developed the software to reduce and analyze data from PGIR's new Fast Readout Mode. This work led to a Research Note in the AAS. 

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Analysis of Optical IFU Data of NGC1275 | Fall 2022 - Summer 2023

Working with Prof. Inami Hanae at Hiroshima University, Kylie reduced, fit, and analyzed Keck IFU data of NGC1275 and its in-falling companion, the High Velocity System. Data reduction was completed using the KCWI DRP. Emission line fitting was completed using BADASS3, though Kylie did not make use of the parameter maps feature, opting to create the maps herself. 

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Analysis of JWST/MIRI Data of F08572+3915 NW | Spring 2024 - Winter 2024

Kylie reduced, fit, and analyzed JWST MIRI IFU data of F08572+3915 NW. Emission line fitting was completed using q3dfit. A very fast biconical outflow of warm molecular gas was discovered. With a v90 of 3000 km/s, it is one of the fastest molecular gas outflows ever discovered. This work led to a paper in the Astrophysical Journal.