Jeyhan

The @RITscience is thrilled to congratulate Sadie Coffin @scoffin_at_you, a fourth-year PhD student in RIT’s Astrophysical Sciences and Technology program, and her mentor, Dr. Jeyhan Kartaltepe @Jeyhan, on receiving a highly competitive NASA FINESST Graduate Fellowship. Sadie’s proposal, “Leveraging Citizen Science Measurements to Efficiently Identify Galaxy Pairs,” was one of only 24 astrophysics projects selected out of 454 applications, a remarkable achievement! Sadie’s research explores how galaxies interact, merge, and evolve over cosmic time by using large-scale spectroscopic data and contributions from citizen scientists. Her project centers on Redshift Wrangler, a NASA-funded participatory science platform she co-developed and leads, which engages volunteers in identifying spectral features in galaxy data. This innovative approach not only strengthens our understanding of galaxy evolution at high redshifts but also highlights the power of public engagement in advancing scientific discovery. Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, Sadie earned her undergraduate degree in Physics from Middlebury College. As a NASA-AAPS Citizen Science Fellow, she continues to bridge research, outreach, and inclusive science communication, setting a stellar example for the next generation of astronomers. Congratulations, Sadie and Dr. Kartaltepe! Well Done!