Emmie Victoria Aufderheide
(Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant)
| Email: | emmie.v.aufderheide@nasa.gov |
| Org Code: | |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 698 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | Southeastern Universities Research Assoc. |
Brief Bio
Emmie is a Post-Baccalaureate Researcher working with Dr. Patrick Whelley to investigate the stratigraphic evidence for ancient explosive volcanism across Arabia Terra, Mars.
Positions/Employment
Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant
Southeastern Universities Research Association - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
August 2025 - Present
As a Post-Baccalaureate researcher working with Dr. Patrick Whelley, Emmie is using QGIS to analyze Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) hyper spectral remote sensing data of Martian clay distribution within 3-billion-year-old volcanic tephra deposits in Arabia Terra. They are comparing the CRISM data with topographic data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) to create maps of the stratigraphy of these deposits in order to determine their extent. This also constrains the atmospheric properties at the time of the eruptions and how explosive the events were.
Post-Baccalaureate Research Assistant
Southeastern Universities Research Association - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
January 2025 - July 2025
As a Post-Baccalaureate researcher working with Dr. Conor Nixon, Emmie investigated the photochemistry of Titan's atmosphere. They conducted a literature search in order to create a refined list of the most critical reaction rates and branching ratios to be used by a Titan photochemical model. An overview of any gaps in cross section measurements or ranges of poor resolution will be highlighted in their review paper (in preparation).
Digital Image Restoration OSTEM Intern
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD
August 2024 - December 2024
Emmie interned at NASA GSFC with the goal of processing images of Titan taken by Hubble Space Telescope. She used FITS Liberator, Adobe Photoshop, and Python in her image processing. Emmie combined several different filters to produce an array of images in the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths in order to reveal the different aspects of Titan's atmospheric and surficial features. The images that were produced from this project will enable scientists to gain a better understanding of Titan. As a product of her internship, Emmie created a step by step guide of how to process HST images. This guide was a vital piece of her project and will be used by future interns to continue the HST image processing efforts.
Education
B.S. Environmental Science, Concentration in Environmental Geology (2024), University of Vermont; Burlington, Vermont
B.A. Film and Television Studies (2024), University of Vermont; Burlington, Vermont