Zoë Elizabeth Buck is a PhD student at University of California Santa Cruz, in science education, and an adjunct astronomy instructor at Hartnell Community College.  She studies astronomy learning and teaching.  Her current research project, at Adler Planetarium, looks at how planetarium show content can support families from diverse cultural backgrounds in learning about the Universe.

Zoë received her bachelor's degree in astrophysics cum laude from Princeton University in 2008.  She spent two summers doing Optical SETI research with Frank Drake at the SETI institute and as a Staff Research Associate at Lick Observatory with Remington Stone.  Her undergraduate research included using SDSS spectroscopy to find pre-main-sequence stars with Gillian Knapp, accurately determining galaxy cluster parameters using a matched filter method with David Spergel, and cross correlation of galaxies and quasars in the SDSS deep stripe with Michael Strauss.

Her undergraduate career included course requirements for a Spanish language certificate and several upper level journalism courses.  While at Princeton, Zoë served as president of the Princeton Astrobiology Club (PABC), founding member of the Princeton Blood Donators (PBD), and undergraduate representative for the Council on Science and Technology (STC).  She also wrote for the student newspaper, The Daily Princetonian, and worked as a teaching assistant for AST203, the introductory astronomy course for non-astronomy majors.

 

After completing undergraduate Zoë recieved a Mass Media Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), giving her the opportunity to spend three months working as a science reporter for the second largest newspaper in North Carolina, the Raleigh News and Observer.  She spent Fall 2008 through Summer 2009 teaching astronomy and outdoor education at the Desert Sun Science Center in Idyllwild, California, better known as Astrocamp. 

 

In Fall 2009 Zoë entered the doctoral program in science education at UCSC.  She received her Masters in Education in Spring of 2011.  Her research focuses on astronomy education, particularly in informal settings.  Her academic advisor is Dr. Doris Ash.  She expects to get her PhD in 2014.

Zoë volunteers for the California State Parks, and serves on the UCSC Education Colloquium and Community Committee.  She has also participated in two cycles of the Institute for Science and Engineering Educators (ISEE) Professional Development Program (PDP), as a facilitation team member (2010), and a design team leader (2011), designing and implementing an inquiry lab activity about transiting planets at a local community college.