Edgar Alvarez, DeVry University
CfAO Site for Internship: Indiana University
Project: Studying the Impact of Exposure Duration on the
Quality of High-Resolution Retinal Images
CfAO Advisor: Don Miller
Edgar Alvarez is currently enrolled at DeVry University. He is a sophomore and is majoring in Electrical Engineering. He is the oldest of two brothers in a family of four. He is the first in his family to go to a university. He plans to pursue a career in aeronautics. (Top)
Julio Barbosa, Hartnell Community
College
CfAO Site for Internship: Lawrence Livermore National
Labs
Project: Monitoring Vacuum Quality Using a Residual
Gas Analyzer
CfAO Advisor: Rick Levesque
Julio Barbosa finished his last year at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, California. He will be transferring to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the fall majoring in Civil Engineering. He was a member of the Physics club at Hartnell and enjoys working with various physics projects that can be used as demonstrations. Julio is the first in his family to attend college and hopes to set a good example for his brothers to follow. (Top)
Nella Barrera, University of
California, Irvine
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California,
Santa Cruz
Project: Extreme Adaptive Optics Testbed
Planet Imager Short and Long Term Stability
CfAO Advisors: Scott Severson
Nella Barrera was born and raised in Columbia. She is a fourth year student majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. She plans on attending a graduate program at a University of California. She has done research and has studied the behavior of turbulent jets in order to make jet propulsion engines more fuel efficient and reduce noise. Nella has also found special interest in analyzing the characteristics of the Airborne Laser (ABL) system developed by Boeing to be implemented into Planetary Defense. Her interest has been to find ways to mitigate turbulence to avoid the deflection and loss of intensity of the laser beams through the atmosphere. (Top)
Meghan Brennan, University
of California, Santa Cruz
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California,
Berkeley
Project: Using Adaptive Optics to Study
Volcanism on Io
CfAO Advisor: Imke de Pater
Meghan Brennan is currently studying Planetary Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She transferred from Santa Rosa Junior College last year, where she was actively involved in the Earth and Space Sciences department. Meghan hopes to begin graduate school in the fall of 2005 in order to obtain a graduate degree in planetary sciences.(Top)
Jesus Enriquez,
University of Texas, El Paso
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California, Berkeley
Project: Detection Profiles of Adaptive Optics
Systems for Binary Asteroid Images
CfAO Advisors: Imke de Pater
Jesus Enriquez is currently a junior majoring in Physics at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He works as a research assistant in space physics and is president of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) in UTEP. He is the first in his family to go to college. He enjoys math, physics, astronomy and learning new things in almost any field of study. Jesus would like to obtain a PhD in Astrophysics and work as a professor at a university. (Top)
Rima Fata, University of California,
Riverside
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California,
Los Angeles
Project: Galaxy Evolution at the Keck
Diffraction Limit
CfAO Advisors: James Larkin
Rima Fata is a Computer Engineering major at the University of California, Riverside. In 2001 she transferred from the American University of Beirut Lebanon, where she was studying electrical engineering. Introduction to coding lead Rima in a different direction and now she is pursuing a bachelors degree in Computer Engineering. She will be the first woman in her family to graduate with an engineering degree. Rima hopes to graduate by the fall of 2005 and continue on to graduate school. (Top)
Denise Gutierrez, Hartnell
College
CfAO Site for Internship: University of Rochester
Project: Does the Best Aberration Correction for
the Eye Depend on Neural Factors?
CfAO Advisor: David Williams
Denise Gutierrez is currently a sophomore at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, CA. She is pursuing a major in Biology and will be transferring to a four year university by fall of 2005. She is the oldest child and first generation born in the U.S. from a family with a Mexican heritage. The day she transfers to a four year institution will be a significant achievement for herself and a proud day for her family. Denise enjoys reading, traveling outside of Monterey County, dancing, joining community groups, and playing soccer whenever possible. (Top)
Angela Haff, University of
California, Davis
CfAO Site for Internship: Lawrence Livermore National
Labs, University of California, Davis
Project: Interferometric Characterization
of a Bimorph Deformable Mirror
CfAO Advisor: Jack Werner
Luis Henry, Monroe Community College
CfAO Site for Internship: University of Houston
Project: To See or Not to See: Visual Acuity With and Without
Adaptive Optics
CfAO Advisor: Austin Roorda
Luis A Henry is a sophomore at Monroe Community College. His major is optical systems technology. Luis has been fascinated with optics ever since high school, when he was given the opportunity to participate in a co-op program. He attended school for half a day and went to work for the other half. This gave him hands on experience and knowledge. Luis now attends school to broaden his horizons and expand his mind. (Top)
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Oxnard Community College
CfAO Site for Internship: Lawrence Livermore National
Labs
Project: High Vacuum Motor Drive for the Uniform
Deposition of Nanolaminates
CfAO Advisors: Scot Olivier
Elizabeth Hernandez is a student at Oxnard College. She plans to apply to transfer next fall to California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo to pursue a career in Civil Engineering. Elizabeth is the oldest daughter in a family of five and the first that will transfer to a four-year university. She is a math tutor about 16 hours per week. She is the president of a dance club which promotes the culture of Mexico through dance and music. In addition, she is the secretary of the Math Club where she works to motivate and inspire people to have fun with math and get involved with the campus and community activities. (Top)
Sahar Kashef, University
of Iowa
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California,
Santa Cruz
Project: Evaluation of 1MHz, 16-bit Analog to
Digital Converters (ADCs)
CfAO Advisors: Jerry Cabak
Sahar Kashef was born in Iran. She came to the U.S. in 1998 with her family. She is a Junior in college and plans to graduate within the next two years from the University of Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering. She plans to attend in graduate school and get her degree in Computer Engineering. (Top)
Columbia Lloyd, Estrella
Mountain Community College
CfAO Site for Internship: University of Houston
Project: What is the Size of the Isoplanatic Patch
in the Human Eye?
CfAO Advisor: Austin Roorda
Columbia Lloyd is a sophomore at Estrella Mountain Community College in Arizona. She will be transferring to the University of Arizona to obtian her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Columbia is active in her school from student organizations to being involved with the faculty and staff. She enjoys meeting people and exploring new things in math, science, and engineering. (Top)
Danielle Robbins, University
of Maryland at Baltimore
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California,
Santa Cruz
Project: Measuring Anisoplanatism for
Astronomical Adaptive Optics Imaging
CfAO Advisor: Julian Christou
Danielle Robbins just completed her junior year at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), where she is a Meyerhoff Scholar. She is a Mathematics major and a Computer Science minor. At UMBC she is heavily involved with Track and Field, the National Society of Black Engineers, the New Student Orientation committee, and various other programs and organizations. Upon completion of undergraduate school she hopes to attend graduate school, where she plans to focus in computational or financial mathematics. (Top)
Sandra Toro, University of
Puerto Rico
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California,
Santa Cruz
Project: Investigation of Potting Compounds for
Hermetic Feed Through Applications
CfAO Advisor: Jerry Cabak
Sandra Toro was born and raised on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. She grew up loving the environment and beaches. Therefore, she enjoys helping the environment as much as she can. Currently she is a junior at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez pursuing a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. After graduating she plans to pursue a master's degree in computer science. She would like to follow in her father's footsteps, with a career in the organization management of industry. (Top)
Li Wei, Monroe Community College
CfAO Site for Internship: University of Rochester
Project: Beating the Diffraction Limit in Retinal Imaging
Using Structural Illumination
CfAO Advisor: David Williams
Li Wei is currently a freshman at Monroe Community College. His major is Mathematics and he is particularly interested in its applications to all sciences. He hopes to obtain at least a Masters degree in mathematics and build mathematical models of various things in science. Li works as a chemistry lab assistant and a math and physics tutor at Monroe Community College. In his spare time, he likes to play soccer, tennis and ski. (Top)
Conswela White, University
of Maryland at Baltimore
CfAO Site for Internship: University of California,
Santa Cruz
Project: Measuring Structural Parameters
of Distant Galaxies
CfAO Advisor: David Koo
Conswela White recently completed her junior year at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is a Meyerhoff Scholar majoring in mathematics and works for the Mathematics and Statistics Department at UMBC as a teaching assistant. She desires to continue her education when she graduates from UMBC in the area of applied mathematics. Outside of the classroom, she is involved with many clubs and organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers and the Upward Bound Program where she tutors high school students. (Top)