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Reeves, Katharine

Astrophysicist

Modeling and data analysis of solar flares and coronal mass ejections

Background And Education

Education And Training

Professional Biography

  • Katharine Reeves is a solar astrophysicist in the Solar and Stellar X-ray Group at SAO. Her research focuses on how thermal energy is transported during solar flares and coronal mass ejections. In order to investigate this question, she analyzes data from a variety of space telescopes, including the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on the Solar Dynamics Observa- tory mission, the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) on the US/Europe/Japan joint Hinode mission, and the Interface Region Imaging Spectrometer (IRIS). She also uses state-of-the art 3D simulations of the Sun in her research. Dr. Reeves is the US Project Scientist for the XRT instrument on the international Hinode mission. In this role, she oversees telescope operations, develops observing programs, trains new operators, and maintains operations so ware. She is also the SAO Institutional PI for the IRIS mission, which entails overseeing SAO’s contributions to IRIS mission operations, science data analysis, and calibration projects. She is currently involved in a proposed project to put a telescope that observes the Sun’s outer corona on the International Space Station. If this proposal is successful, she will be the Operations Lead for this project. Dr. Reeves is the Director of the Solar Physics REU program, which brings a diverse group of undergraduate students to SAO every summer to work on data analysis, modeling, and instrumentation projects related to solar physics. The Hinodeand IRIS teams that Dr. Reeves is a part of have been awarded numerous awards by NASA for telescope performance and scientific output. In 2016, she was awarded the AAS/SPD Karen Harvey Prize, an early-career award honoring significant contribution to the study of the Sun “for her work elucidating the energetics of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, for her leadership within the multi-national Hinode/X-Ray Telescope project, and for her strong role in scientific education and public outreach.”

Awards And Honors

Publications

Selected Publications

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