Valerie J. Mikles

Note: For the most up-to-date information, please e-mail me at mikles [at] valeriebean.com


* Summary of Skills * Education * Computer Skills * Honors and Awards * Professional Societies and Organizations
* Research Experience * Teaching Experience * Community Outreach Experience * Science Publications

Summary of skills

Education

Computer Skills

Honors and Awards

2002-2006   University of Florida Alumni Fellow
2000-2002   Maryland Space Grant Consortium Scholar
1998-2000   Baltimore Sun Scholar
1997 Young Writer’s Award, Baltimore Book Festival, Baltimore, MD, First Place
1995 The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Silver Award

Professional Societies and Organizations

2001 – 2008  American Astronomical Society, Junior Member
2002 – 2008  Graduate Astronomy Organization
  offices held: Secretary (2004), Graduate Liaison (2006)
2000 – 2002   Physics Honors Society, member
2001 Inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics Honors Society

Research Experience

2004-2008   Alumni Fellow/Research Assistant, U. of Florida, supervisor: Dr. Steven Eikenberry
  * Lead collaborations and composed papers for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.
  * Composed research proposals and traveled to various telescopes to perform observations.
  * Presented my work at a number of astronomy conferences.
  * Served as a member of the Local Organizing Committee for 'A Population Explosion' conference held in St Petersburg, FL in 2007.
   
2003-2004  Alumni Fellow, U. of Florida, supervisor: Dr. Vicki Sarajedini
  * Collected, analyzed, and interpreted data from the Hubble Space Telescope
   
2000-2002  Research Assistant, Johns Hopkins U., supervisor: Dr. Wei Zheng
  * Correlated data catalogs from ground and space-based observatories
  * Assessed techniques for data analysis
  * Published work in the Astrophysical Journal
   
June-August 2001   REU Student, Kitt Peak National Observatory, supervisor: Dr. Buell Januzzi
  * Developed data analysis techniques that were applied in a number of publications.
June-August 1999   Summer Student, STScI, supervisors: John MacKenty/M. Sally Oey
  * Assessed capabilities of instrument under development
  * Analyzed population statistics
  * Published work in the Astronomical Journal

Teaching Experience

2002-2003  Alumni Fellow, U. of Florida
  * Taught two semesters of a 13-week astronomy laboratory course for non-majors
  * Created a syllabus of requirements, conducted weekly lectures, graded of labs

Community Outreach

2002- 2008 Participated in several outreach events with the Department of Astronomy and Graduate Astronomy Organization at the University of Florida.
  • Assisted Campus Teaching Observatory Public Night Program.
  • Planned and led group activities for Elementary age children.
  • Assisted with organization and implementation of profession development workshops
2001-2002 Planned, coordinated, and directed “Hopkins Science Mania”, a summer science camp hosted at Johns Hopkins University, funded by the JHU Office of Public Outreach and the Maryland Space Grant Consortium, targeting middle school children in Baltimore, MD.
  • Hired and managed a team of 8 full time employees
  • Coordinated volunteers over multiple departments
  • Developed educational activities and programming
  • Coordinated field trips
2000-2002 Directed and taught dance as part of an after school program at Margaret Brent Elementary School, Baltimore, MD

Science Publications

2008 Mikles, V. J. "X-ray and Infrared Spectral and Timing Observations of Galactic Interacting Binary Stars and Associated Relativistic Jets," Ph.D. dissertation, University of Florida, 2008.

Refereed Journal Articles
2008 Mikles, V. J.; Varniere, P.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Rodriguez, J.; Rothstein, D. M. "QPO Frequency - Color Radius Connection in GRS 1915+105: Observational Evidence Supporting AEI Predictions," 2008, Astrophysical Journal Letters, submitted.
2008 Mikles, V. J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Muno, M. P.; Bandyopadhyay, R. M. "Discovery and Interpretation of an X-ray Period in the Galactic Center X-ray Source CXOGC J174536.1-2856," 2008, Astrophysical Journal, in press.
2006 Mikles, V. J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Muno, M. P.; Bandyopadhyay, R. M.; Patel, S. "Identification of the Infrared Counterpart to a Newly Discovered X-Ray Source in the Galactic Center," 2006, Astrophysical Journal, 651, 408.
2006 Mikles, V. J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; & Rothstein, D. M. "Does Low Frequency X-ray QPO Behavior in GRS 1915+105 Influence Subsequent X-ray and Infrared Evolution?" 2006, Astrophysical Journal, 637, 978.
2005 Zheng, W.; Mikles, V. J.; Mainieri; V., Hasinger, G.; Rosati, P.; Wolf, C.; Norman, C.; Szokoly, G.; Gilli, R.; Tozzi, P.; Wang, J. X.; Zirm, A.; Giacconi, R. "Photometric Redshift of X-Ray Sources in the Chandra Deep Field-South," 2004, Astrophysical Journal Supplemental Series, 155, 73.
2003 Brown, M. J. I.; Dey, A.; Jannuzi, B. T.; Lauer, T. R.; Tiede, G. P.; Mikles, V. J. "Red Galaxy Clustering in the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey," 2003, Astrophysical Journal, 597, 225.
2003 Oey, M. S.; Parker, J. S.; Mikles, V. J.; Zhang, X. "H II Regions in Spiral Galaxies: Size Distribution, Luminosity Function, and New Isochrone Diagnostics of Density-Wave Kinematic," 2003, Astronomical Journal, 126, 2317.