St Michael's science student, Ashley Armstrong of Rome, NY, presents research at American Astronomical Society

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Ashley Armstrong of Rome, NY, presents her research at American Astronomical Society

COLCHESTER, VT (01/11/2013)(readMedia)-- Atop a summer of funded research in astrophysics at Harvard, a study abroad semester in Ireland, induction into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior (usually only seniors are inducted), Ashley Armstrong, a Saint Michael's College senior physics and philosophy double major, added another accomplishment.

Ms. Armstrong, the daughter of Mary Jo and Steven Armstrong of Rome, N.Y., who graduated from Rome Free Academy before coming to Saint Michael's, presented her astronomy research at the American Astronomical Society meeting, held Jan. 6-10, 2013, in Long Beach, California. Her research was based on data from the enormous Keck Observatory, and was part of a section titled Intergalactic Medium, QSO Absorption Line Systems.

The lead author, Ms. Armstrong and her group presented their work at the conference on a poster titled The Keck Observatory Database of Ionized Absorbers Toward QSOs (KODIAQ): II. A large Sample of CIV Selected Absorbers in the IGM and the ISM and CGM of Galaxies at z>1.6. Authors: Ashley Armstrong1, V. Burns2, J. O'Meara1, N. Lehner2, A. Fox4, J.C. Howk2, J.X. Prochaska3, A.M. Wolfe5. Their institutions: 1Saint Michael's College, 2University of Notre Dame, 3University of California, Santa Cruz, 4Space Telescope Science Institute, 5University of California, San Diego.

Ms. Armstrong's adviser, Saint Michael's College Physics Professor, Dr. John O'Meara, was one of the authors on the study, although she was the first author. Professor O'Meara is a widely published researcher in the field of astrophysics.

Ms. Armstrong was also a researcher on another project using Keck data, titled The Keck Observatory Database of Ionized Absorbers Toward QSOs (KODIAQ): I. Hunting for OVI Absorbers in Strong HI Absorbers at z>2. Authors: Vincent Burns1, A. Armstrong2, N. Lehner1, J. O'Meara2, A. Fox3, J.C. Howk1, J.X. Prochaska4, A.M. Wolfe5. Their institutions: 1University of Notre Dame, 2St. Michael's College, 3STScI, 4UC, Santa Cruz, 5UC, San Diego.

Background

Ashley Armstrong was awarded a grant to participate in the summer 2012 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Solar REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program.

"I'm looking forward to gaining a better perspective on the different kinds of research going on throughout the astronomical community, as well as seeing what graduate level research might be like," she said in June. "This experience is sure to shape my future plans in a very important way. I think that it's going to be a summer of adventure in Cambridge, as I explore our Sun through the project titled: 'Thermal Energy Content of Solar Flares'."

Her participation in the national astronomy meeting this month confirms her view of the impact of her summer at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard-all part of her ever-expanding science education.

Also attuned to the beauty of nature on earth, Ms. Armstrong said of a sight she saw on her stud- abroad visit to Kylemore Abbey in Ireland: "[This scene] shows no sign of the nearby castle nor of the tourists flowing in and out of that structure. Instead here [I see] the serenity and simplicity that is the lake, the hills, and the tangled tree. I wonder how many of the tourists ever see this tree. It's a pity that in one's effort to see the world and its wonders, the field of vision is often restricted by a call for efficiency.

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu  . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns. Identified by the Princeton Review, 2013 as one of the nation's Best 377 Colleges, and included in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013, Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's top-100, Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2013 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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