I am a professor of astrophysics in the Astronomy Program which is part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Iowa State University
For a list of all of my publications, here is a shortcut to the Astrophysics Data System (the gold standard publication database for astronomy). Other details, including a more digestable publication list can be found on my "official" curriculum vita .
 | My work primarily involves exploring the interior structure and evolution of stars. I use various techniques, but really enjoy using the subtle variations in the brightness (and surface oscillations) of stars as probes of their interior structure (asteroseismology). This work has a wide range of applications, from basic stellar astrophysics to characterizing exoplanets and testing fundamental physics. It is also a lot of fun! |
 | I'm a member of the Steering Committee for the Kepler Asteroseismology Research Consortium (KASC), and for the TESS Asteroseismology Research Consortium (TASC). We're exploiting the asteroseismology that can be done on data that the the Kepler. K2, and TESS missions have and will provide in the hunt for Earthlike planets around other stars. |
- Some thoughts on the public funding of Kepler
- Universe Today
- A piece in Urban Plains
- Various other media appearances
My research into the interiors of stars has involved the Whole Earth Telescope. Now part of the Delaware Asteroseismic Research Center (DARC), the WET was, for many years (through about 2007) headquartered at Iowa State University/ An archive of the The Whole Earth Telescope website from those ISU days contains links to the study of the seismology of pulsating stars. For some fun highlights, see the following links to WET in the popular press
- I'm past president (2009-2010) of the ISU Chapter of Sigma Xi
- Some old HTML presentations
- Images from the 2005 Fick Observatory Calendar
- and 2004, 2003, and 2002.
- A brief intro to Astrophysics at Iowa State circa 2006.
- The Whole Earth Telescope from a public lecture on technology and astronomy
- 10 Years of the Hubble Space Telescope - a public talk from 2001