Hi, I'm Sarah
I follow where the data leads. Python is my primary tool for solving problems and automation. My motivation stems from helping others and contributing answers to meaningful questions. I work best within a focused team. I enjoy exploring new opportunities especially in data science and image processing. My complete skill set is available in my resume.
I recently completed my PhD in Geological Sciences with a focus on Planetary Science while working for NASA studying the Moon and Mercury. I hold a bachelor's degree in Physics from Northwestern University. I think better with a whiteboard or while walking, but not at the same time. I still want to go to the Moon or at least help some other humans get there.
Here are my projects
Attitude Map
Geolocated sentiment analysis using Twitter data. You could say it is latitude with attitude.
Status: Coming Soon!
Circle Craters
Circle craters, an open-source crater counting python plugin for QGIS. Crater counting is a technique planetary scientists use to estimate a surface's age.
Status: Ongoing
Lunar Volcanism
Investiging small volcanic features in the lunar maria. I collected data indicating that the small volcanic patches were formed by low-volume eruptions significantly more recently (less than 100 million years ago) than previous evidence of lunar volcanism's end (~1 billion years ago). Previously scientists had no direct evidence suggesting volcanic eruptions this recent were possible on the Moon.
Status: Submitted for publication
Public Speaking
I like to stay engaged outside of work. For me, this means teaching other humans about Earth's Moon, and now about programming in Python. I've given 5 public talks in the past 6 months.
Status: Ongoing
Writing my PhD Dissertation
I worked with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera and Mercury Dual Imaging System science teams for an amazing five years. Then I summarized the new science into a single document. I used this Latex template to write my dissertation.
Status: Complete
Code for Athlinks
I wrote a set of image processing tools in Python for the company Athlinks, the largest race results aggregator on the web.
Status: Complete
Inflight Spacecraft Camera Calibration
Absolute calibration of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Cameras used ground-based Robotic Lunar Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope data as standards. Data analysis improved upon the pre-flight measurements. Calibrated reflectance data are essential for scientific analysis with spacecraft images.
Status: Complete
Lunar Blog Posts
I wrote over 80 blog posts featuring new images from the Moon for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Featured Image Blog .
Status: Complete
Comparing the Moon to Mercury
I used differences in the impact crater populations on the Moon and Mercury to measure relative differences in the amount of surface change due to space weathering. Results determined the regolith optical maturation rate on Mercury is 2 to 4 times faster than on the Moon.
Status: Complete