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Grant W. Wilson

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Grant W. Wilson Professor of Astronomy Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts Lederle Graduate Research Center University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-4517 TEL: 413. 545.0460 EMAIL: [email protected] January 17, 2020 a. Professional Preparation University of Chicago, Postdoctoral Work in Experimental Cosmology, 1999-2001 NASA/GSFC, Postdoctoral Work in Experimental Cosmology, 1997-1999 Brown University, (Physics) Ph.D. 1997 PhD Advisor: Peter T. Timbie Brown University, (Physics) M.S. 1993 Tufts University, (Engineering Physics) B.S. 1991 b. Appointments, Fellowships, and Awards 2018-present Graduate Program Director, Dept. of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts 2013-present Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts 2014-2015 Acting Graduate Program Director, Dept. of Astronomy, UMass 2009-2013, Associate Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts 2009, Outstanding Teacher Award, College of Natural Science and Mathematics, UMass 2001-2009, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts 2003-2004, Davis Grant Fellow, University of Massachusetts 2002-2003, STEMTEC Fellow, University of Massachusetts 2002, NASA Center of Excellence Award 1999-2001, Research Scientist, University of Chicago 1997-1999, Visiting Scholar, University of Chicago 1997-1999, National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, NASA/GSFC 1993-1997, NASA Graduate Student Research Program Fellow 1992-1993, Rhode Island Space Grant Fellow c. Ongoing Projects and Interests Origin and Evolution of Structure in the Universe - My primary research interest is in the field of star formation and the study of the origin and evolution of structure in the Universe. To this end I have been involved with numerous experiments to measure the anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, studies of the cosmic star formation rate as evidenced by high-redshift starburst galaxies, and studies of large scale structure as traced by the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect in clusters of galaxies. The Large Millimeter Telescope - Studies of the evolution of galaxies throughout cosmic time requires a set of sensitive instruments coupled with a very large mm-wavelength telescope. My principal goal at UMass has been the development and construction of a suite of state-of- the-art millimeter-wavelength cameras to be used on the Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT). The LMT is a 50m diameter mm-wavelength telescope which started scientific operations 1 in 2013. My work with the LMT project spans all aspects of the development and use of the telescope - from supporting engineering and commissioning activities to leading the building and development of various instruments and subsystems for the telescope (the Optical Pointing Telescope, the Temperature Sensing System, the AzTEC Camera, and now the TolTEC camera), to chairing the group responsible for advising the LMT Project Office on scientific issues. AzTEC - I lead a large scale survey of the Submillimeter Galaxy (SMG) population using AzTEC, our 144 element bolometer camera, on the 15m diameter James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, the 10m diameter ASTE telescope, and more recently on the LMT. We have now imaged over 2 square degrees of unbiased sky with an area weighted target sensitivity of approximately 1 mJy rms. Several fields with large multi-wavelength data sets were mapped including the Subaru Deep Field South, the Lockman Hole, GOODS-N and GOODS-S, a subset of the COSMOS field, SSA-22, and a portion of the South Ecliptic Pole. In addition we have mapped more than 40 cluster/proto-cluster fields in order to investigate environmental influences on SMG formation and evolution. Together this represents the largest/deepest survey of the SMG blank and biased-field populations. In 2011 we installed AzTEC for the first time on the LMT and achieved first-light with the instrument. Full-scale scientific work with AzTEC on the LMT began in 2013. TolTEC - I lead a group of instrumentation builders and astronomers in the development of a camera designed to fill the LMT’s field of view in order to optimize the telescope’s ability to image at mm-wavelengths. This camera, called TolTEC, has approximately 7,000 Kinetic Inductance Detectors in three arrays which simultaneously image the sky at 2.1mm, 1.4mm, and 1.1mm wavelengths. The increase in mapping speed afforded by TolTEC will increase the efficiency of the LMT in imaging by more than a factor of 70 over that achievable by AzTEC. This will enable entirely new types of observing programs and considerably extend the LMT’s scientific reach. d. Teaching Experience and Awards (2001-present) Astronomy 100 - Exploring the Universe - An introduction to Astronomy for non-scientists. This course satisfies the science general education requirement at the University. - Spring 2020, 300 students - Spring 2018, 252 students - Spring 2017, 201 students - Spring 2016, 230 students - Spring 2015, 207 students - Spring 2014, 249 students - Spring 2013, 193 students - Spring 2011, 366 students - Spring 2009, 300 students - Spring 2008, 120 students - Spring 2004, 120 students - Spring 2003, 120 students - Fall 2002, 120 students Physics 281 - Computational Physics - An introduction to computational physics for under- gratduate physics and astronomy majors. 2 - Fall 2014, 24 students Astronomy 335 - Introduction to Modern Astrophysics - A course centered around the distance ladder and ultimately focusing on the stellar structure of variable stars. This course is on all three Astronomy undergraduate major tracks and so attracts a student population with a wide back- ground in physics and math. - Fall 2007, 20 students - Fall 2006, 11 students - Fall 2005, 18 students - Fall 2004, 28 students - Fall 2003, 18 students Astronomy 732 - Computational Methods for Physics and Astronomy - A core graduate course on computational techniques covering: linear algebra, interpolation and extrapolation, integration, root finding, extremization and differential equations. Introduction to Monte Carlo techniques used to simulate processes that occur in nature and methods to simulate experiments that measure these processes including random number generators, sampling techniques, and multidimensional simu- lation. Methods for extracting information from experiments such as experimental measurements and uncertainties, confidence intervals, parameter estimation, likelihood methods, least squares method, hypothesis tests, and goodness of fit tests. - Fall 2019, 5 students - Fall 2018, 4 students - Fall 2017, 5 students - Fall 2016, 3 students - Fall 2015, 7 students - Fall 2013, 10 students - Fall 2012, 8 students - Fall 2011, 5 students - Fall 2010, 5 students - Fall 2009, 2 students - Fall 2008, 9 students Astronomy 850 - Dark Energy - A graduate course on cosmology and dark energy. We followed the report of the Dark Energy Task Force and explored the observational evidence for dark energy as well as the systematics-driven limitations of the four major dark energy observational techniques. - Spring 2010, 9 students - Spring 2007, 5 students Astronomy 791 - Graduate Seminar: A Review of Current Literature - Fall 2010, 17 students - Spring 2005, 28 students Davis Grant Fellow - Participated in Davis Foundation funded research into incorporating tech- nology into large lecture classrooms. 2003–2004 STEMTEC Fellow - fellowship to study novel techniques for science instruction. 2002–2003 Outstanding Teacher Award - Awarded by the college of Natural Science and Mathematics. 3 2009 e. Research Advisees (2001-present) Postdocs - Chris O’Dell, Thushara Perera, Zhiyuan Ma Graduate Students - Stacey Alberts, Jason Austermann, Natalie DeNegris, Seth Johnson, Daniel Logan, Michael McCrackan, Kimberly Scott, Yuping Tang, David Welch Undergraduate Researchers - Sophia Abi-Saad, Cara Battersby, Alan Brailey, Tim Brothers, Nathan Brunetti, Alexandra Burkott, Reid Contente, Miranda Eiben, Christine Harrington, Davis Hodges-Hall, Kevin Kingsburry, Kelsie Krafton, Coleman Krawczyk, Mary MacDonald, Thomas MacRae, Maggie McKeon, Dan Moriarty, Angela Murphy, Kerry Neal, Jared Rand, Josh Reuch, Chris Roberts, Christian Ruiz, Ed Slavich, Josh Snyder, Connie Spittler, Andrea Tinney Technicians - John Karakala, Reid Contente Supervised Professional Staff - Stephen Kuczarski, Thomas Scott (Current) f. Grants and Gifts (2001-present) 1. ”Unveiling the Obscured Formation of Stars and Galaxies: Large-Scale Legacy Surveys with a New Three Color High Resolution Imaging Polarimeter on a 50-m Telescope” NSF-MSIP, PI - Grant Wilson ($6,131,567) 2016-2021 2. “Galaxy Cluster Trainwreck Forensics” NASA, PI-Sunil Golwala, Caltech subcontract to UMass ($26,596) 2015-2016 3. ”The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey: WFC3 Treasury Program” HST Cycle 17 GO Proposal, PI - Henry Ferguson, Subcontract to UMass - Mauro Giavalisco PI ($590,305) 2010-2014 4. “Submillimeter Galaxies” NSF/AST program, PI Grant Wilson, ($339,055) 2009 - 2013 5. “CDFS: Massive Starbust Galaxies in the Early Universe: The Starburst/AGN Connection.” NASA Chandra, PI Seth Johnson, ($78,180) 2010 - 2012 6. “Astronomy Research at the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory” NSF URO program, PI Peter Schloerb, ($2,599,707) 2008-2013 7. “Charting Cluster Mass Build-up using Luminous IR Galaxies” NASA Spitzer, PI Min Yun, ($143,410), 2009-2010 8. “Charting Mass Build-up In and Around the ACES Clusters using Luminous IR Galaxies” NASA/ADP, PI Min Yun ($197,056), 2010-2011 9. ”Correlative Radio Observations of Cosmic Gamma Ray Sources” NSF PAARE program, PI Greg Stacey,
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