Senior Projects (12/3)

Colloquium this week gives our seniors a chance to tell us about their senior projects. We have two mid-project reports and one final report.

“Determining the Ages of Star Clusters” by Lauren Marker
I am plotting isochrones over star cluster data to find the ‘best fit’. The isochrone that fits the best will tell me the log age that I will compare to previously calculated data to see if I can achieve the same results. 

“Identifying Binary Systems Using Differential Photometry” by Olivia Krugman
My talk is about searching for variability in Planetary Nebulae to see if they contain binary star systems at their center. I will also be describing once I determine binary candidates how I will use this information to run modeling and get parameters for these systems, with the system I am focusing on that is for Pa 13.

“Looking for Possible Binary Star Systems through Spectroscopy and Radial Velocity Changes” by Maggie Bliese
This project focused on measuring the Doppler shift in star’s spectra from potential binary star systems in planetary nebulae. Variability in the Doppler shift would indicate a binary system. Primarily, this project focused on white dwarf or near white dwarf stars to further explore the binary fraction of central stars of planetary nebulae.