Karen Bourque Werner
Mount Holyoke College
Astrophysics, FP '96
My name is Karen Bourque Werner, and among other things I'm a member of the Mount Holyoke class of '96. Professionally, I am employed as a Research Assistant in the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory at the University of Massachusetts, and am a part-time grad student in Electrical Engineering. We have recently completed getting SEQUOIA (the most sensitive receiver of its kind in the world!) up and running at the Quabbin 14-meter telescope for another great season of radio astronomy. Now we'll focus on creating the second array of pixels for a total of 32 (instead of 16) pixels. This receiver will ultimately live on the Large Millimeter Telescope in Puebla, Mexico.
While at MHC I majored in Astrophysics, a special major which encompassed the cores of both the Astronomy and Physics departments. My thesis is entitled, "A Study of the Time Delay of the Twin Quasar QSO 0957+561." It's all about a quasar, extreme gravity, and light that's been travelling for a loooong time... The bulk of the data was taken at MHC with "Blanche," our own 24" telescope. Click here if you'd like to see my thesis abstract.
You might want to check out these astro-links if you too are a spaceshot!
- NASA - You know, NASA stuff!
- Sky and Telescope magazine - Great for keeping up-to-date on current events and monthly happenings in the sky.
- The SETI Institute - The end-all site for those interested in what's going on with the search for intelligence in the universe!
- American Astronomical Society - News, jobs, opportunities, etc... in the field of Astronomy.
- American Institute of Physics - News, jobs, opportunities, etc... in the field of Physics.
I am also a staunch supporter of conservation and the environment. I'm a member of EDF, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF to name a few. Here in Amherst I serve as a Conservation Commissioner and also help out by maintaining a few trails and coordinating the annual nine-town fund-raising effort for the wonderful trail system.
Thanks for visiting!