• Harlo Mork Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence in Teaching Award, Recognized for excellence in the classroom and consistent willingness to go above and beyond on behalf of students, especially extensive efforts and support in curriculum reform for MSU's Integrated Studies and Programs, 2022

• Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, Recognized for high achievement inside and outside of the classroom, 2022

• College of Natural Science Distinction Award, Recognized for “high-impact contributions to research on Characterizing Galactic Binaries in the Cloud with LISA.” Award goes to fewer than 10% of graduating seniors, May 2020

• John C. Mather Nobel Scholar, Chosen based on my research and my outstanding academic performance. Awarded $3,000 to present distinguished research at conference(s) of my choice. Less than 10 people are selected for this award every year, 2019

• Undergraduate Women In Physics Research Winner, Recognized for high achieving research and ambition among undergraduates., Jan. 2020

•      University Honors, Received all A’s for the semester, Fall 2018-Spring 2019, Fall 2020                      

• President’s List, Recognized for 4.0 grade point average each semester, 2015-2017

Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI - Aug. 2021 to May 2023

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Physics and Astronomy

• Graduate Teaching Assistant, responsible for two sections of Introduction to Astronomy, an undergraduate course averaging 70 students per class, covering basic Astronomy topics

• Led a small team to create an entirely new curriculum. I wrote the majority of the labs

• Provided short lectures over necessary astronomical concepts at beginning of each lab

• Developed students' critical thinking skills and taught remote use of telescope, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile

• Assisted in coordinating sections and lab curriculum

• Available to students offering individual assistance with coursework

María Zayas de Sotomayor, Majadahonda, Spain - Oct. 2020 to May 2021

Auxiliar of English Conversation

• Created presentations and activities to enhance cultural knowledge of the USA and their English vocabulary

• Facilitated guided English conversations allowing students to use the language in free form

• Aided in the improvement student's pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and general understanding of the language in everyday life

Preply - March to Dec. 2020 

Private English as a Foreign Language Tutor

• Designed curriculum and lesson plans according to student’s level

• Helped with grammar, pronunciation, and understanding American slang and culture

University of Texas, Austin, TX - Aug. 2018 to May 2020

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Physics

• Assistant Teacher to Physical Sciences, an undergraduate course averaging 30 students per class, covering basic Newtonian Mechanics

• Supported development of labs to coincide with the current topic

• Assisted in coordinating classes and labs

• Lectured on an as-needed basis

• Available to students offering individual assistance with coursework

Private Physics Tutor, Frisco, TX - Summer 2018

• Assisted classroom learning of high school Newtonian Physics

• Explained exercises and created problem sets

Weak X-ray Bursts on Slowly Accreting Neutron Stars, Fall 2023-Spring 2025

Michigan State University

Paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025arXiv250615818C/abstract

Collaborators: Simon Guichandut, Andrew Cumming, and Edward F. Brown

Recent observations of weak X-ray bursts from SAX J1808.4−3658 occurring within 1–3 days of the outburst have renewed interest in the possibility of X-ray bursts triggered by thermally unstable hydrogen ignition, analogous to classical novae. Using the stellar evolution code MESA, we explore the unstable ignition of hydrogen. For accretion of solar composition, the bursts are too weak to be observed. However, for large enough metallicity enhancement, we achieve a peak luminosity consistent with the SAX J1808.4−3658 burst.

Hydrogen-triggered X-ray Bursts on Neutron Stars with NICER, Summer 2020-Spring 2023

Interned and Consulted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, now continuing research as a PhD Student at Michigan State University

Casten, S., Strohmayer, T., E., Bult, P. 2023, ApJ, 948, 117

View paper here: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023arXiv230400104C/abstract

Collaborators: Tod E. Strohmayer & Peter Bult

Utilizing the NASA HEASARC archive to extract light curves and spectra of neutron star SAX J1808.4−3658 to analyze weak X-ray bursts. Fitting spectra to create a model and understand the underlying physics of the burst. To our knowledge, this observation provides some of the first strong observational evidence of hydrogen-powered bursts.

Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy eXperiment, Spring 2019-Spring 2020

University of Texas, Austin                                                                                                                           

Advisor: Karl Gebhardt

Analyzed and characterized galaxies along with other celestial objects using Python. Filtered through sources to create a strong foundational training set for a machine learning algorithm.

Fiber Optic Interferometry, Fall 2018-Spring 2020

University of Texas, Austin

Advisor: Dr. John Markert

Compared the sensitivity of force versus magnetic torque measurements and identified sensitive magnetometer using microscillations through interferometry.

Characterizing Galactic Binaries In the Cloud with LISA, Summer 2019

Intern at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Advisor: Ira Thorpe

A Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method was utilized to account for the amount of simultaneous sources and implemented on a cloud computing facility. Using cloud computing sets up a platform that can be manipulated to fit the needs of many computing situations and is ideal for large data. This platform was created from the ground up and has been used to reproduce the results of previous codes to demonstrate the ability and effectiveness of cloud computing.                                                                                                   

LIGO Gravitational Waves, Fall 2018

University of Texas, Austin

Advisor: Dr. Karl Gebhardt

Used Python to graphically analyze the features from the new data release from the LIGO sites. Creating animated visualization of LIGO events and placing a model behind the data in order to visually identify events in other streams.

Magnetic Matter, 2018

University of Texas, Austin

Advisor: Dr. John Markert

Synthesized superconductors using rare earth elements (RE) and conducted experiments such as iodometric titration, cryogenic resistivity and susceptibility, and X-ray diffraction to determine effects on magnetic properties.

Casten, S., Strohmayer, T., E., Bult, P. 2023, ApJ, 948, 117. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023ApJ...948..117C/abstract 

Casten, S., Guichandut, S., Cumming, A., Brown, E. F. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025arXiv250615818C/abstract 

• Astronomy on Tap (AoT) Presenter, "10 Cool Facts About Neutron Stars," 2025

• Nuclei in the Cosmos XVIII, "H-triggered X-ray Bursts on Slowly Accreting Neutron Stars," 2025

• MSU's Broader Impacts Through Science Communication Panel, Invited Panelist, 2024

• Astronomy on Tap Presenter, "Cunk on Space," 2024

• Center for Nuclear Astrophysics across Messengers, "Hydrogen-triggered X-ray Bursts on Accreting Neutron Stars," 2024

• MESA Summer School, Selected as one of the 50 graduate students to gain more experience in how to use MESA for research, 2023

• Center for Nuclear Astrophysics across Messengers, "Hydrogen-triggered X-ray Bursts from SAX J1808.4-3658," 2023

• Compact Objects in Michigan and Ontario, "Hydrogen-triggered X-ray Bursts from SAX J1808.4-3658," 2023

• AoT Presenter, "FAQs About the Sagittarius A* Image," 2022

• AoT Presenter, "The Fairytale of the Habitable Zone," 2022

• NASA Symposium, “NICER Weak X-ray Bursts of SAX J1808,” 2020

• X-ray Bootcamp, through Bard College and introduced students to common X-ray analysis tools like HEASARC and xselect, 2020

• Advanced Python Bootcamp, through NASA and introduced practical tools like  Github, code optimization, manipulating files, and more, 2019

• HETDEX Workshops, organized and led these research workshops, an idea I originated, which were geared towards undergraduates to help them gain experience in astronomy research, learn practical to help them gain experience in astronomy research, learn practical skills for research, as well as gain exposure to spectral data, 2019

• Frank N. Bash Symposium, “The Classification of Sources in the HETDEX Database,” 2019

• NASA Symposium, “Characterizing Galactic Binaries with LISA,” 2019

• Science Communicator, on TikTok and Instagram (@giveSierraSpace), 2021-Present

• Astronomy on Tap (Lansing) Committee Member, 2023-Present

• MSU Seminar Committee Member, 2023-2024

• AAS, American Astronomical Society, 2019-2020

• APS, American Physical Society, 2019-2020

• International TEFL Academy, 2020

      ITA is an internationally accredited organization that provides students with the skills and confidence to become professionally certified international English teachers.

• Astronomy Students’ Association, University of Texas at Austin, 2017-2020

Founded on the principle of spreading interest in astronomy and promoting an astronomy learning community.

• Undergraduate Women in Physics, University of Texas at Austin, 2017-2020

Dedicated to promoting gender equality within physics by providing a supportive community whose members share their experiences, advice, and ideas.

Programming: Python 3, LaTeX, Fortran, LabVIEW

Software: Maxima, Mathematica, Wolfram Alpha, HEASOFT, MESA

Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X 

Languages: English—Native Speaker, Spanish—Advanced Listener, Intermediate Speaker, Advanced Reading and Writing 

Technical Skills: exposure to high vacuum systems, X-ray diffraction, cryogenics, low temperature experimental techniques, proficiency in solid-state synthesis, building and repairing electronic circuits, UV spectroscopy 

Citizenship, United States

Gender, Female

Pronouns, she/her