Speaker: Dr. Steph LaMassa, Space Telescope Science Institute
Abstract: The James Webb Space Telescope revolutionized astronomy with its launch in 2021 and first science images in 2022. Already, it has revealed some of the farthest galaxies ever discovered, analyzed the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant suns, and studied some of the largest stars in the universe. Dr. Stephanie LaMassa, branch manager for the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) aboard JWST, will teach about the design, launch, and software maintenance of JWST and NIRISS. Being in charge of the instrument, Dr. LaMassa will provide unique insight into how instruments intended for spaceflight are designed, and how students can get involved with instrumentation work on the ground. In addition, she will also talk about some of the exciting uses for the space telescope, including studies of supermassive black holes and the earliest galaxies in the universe.