Erin Balsamo
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
balsamo1@umbc.edu , erinbalsamo@gmail.com
(410) 908-7423
Education
2011-present
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Doctorate Program in Applied Physics with concentration in Astrophysics
M.S. 2011
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Masters of Science in Applied Physics
B.A. 2009
McDaniel College, Cum Laude
Bachelors of Arts in Physics with minor in Mathematics
2012
Anne Arundel Community College
Network + Certification
High School Diploma 2005 Western School of Technology and Environmental Science
Concentration in Environmental Technology
Career Interests
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X-ray optics research and development for astronomical observations
Research and development in applied physics for scientific exploration and defense
STEM outreach and physics education
Peer Reviewed Publications and Conference Proceedings
Erin Balsamo ; Keith C. Gendreau ; Zaven Arzoumanian ; Lalit Jalota ; Steven J. Kenyon ; David Fickau ;
Nicholas Spartana ; Devin Hahne ; Richard Koenecke ; Yang Soong ; Peter Serlemitsos ; Takashi Okajima ;
Robert Campion ; Louis Detweiler; Development of full shell foil x-ray mirrors. Proc. SPIE 8450, Modern
Technologies in Space- and Ground-based Telescopes and Instrumentation II, 845052 (September 13,
2012); doi:10.1117/12.926152.
Keith Gendreau ; Zaven Arzoumanian ; Fumi Asami ; Robert Baker ; Erin Balsamo ; Kevin Black ; Carlos
Duran-Aviles ; Teruaki Enoto ; Kyle Gregory ; Devin Hahne ; Asami Hayato ; Joe Hill ; Fred Huegel ;
Takanori Iwahashi ; Wataru Iwakiri ; Keith Jahoda ; Lalit Jalota ; Philip Kaaret ; Kenta Kaneko ; Steven
Kenyon ; Takao Kitaguchi ; Richard Koenecke ; Takayoshi Kohmura ; Takashi Okajima ; Larry Olsen ; F.
Scott Porter ; Kurt Rush ; Peter Serlemitsos ; Yang Soong ; Yoko Takeuchi ; Toru Tamagawa ; Shin'ya
Yamada ; Akifumi Yoshikawa; The x-ray advanced concepts testbed (XACT) sounding rocket payload.
Proc. SPIE 8443, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 84434V
(September 17, 2012); doi:10.1117/12.926418.
Pagonis, V.; Balsamo, E.; Barnold, C.; Duling, K.; McCole, S. (2008). Simulation of the predose dating
technique for the retrospective dosimetry and authenticity testing, Radiation Measurements, 43, (8),
September, 1342-1353.
Shappirio, M.; Coplan, M; Balsamo, E.; Chornay, D.; Collier, M.; Hughes, P.; Keller, J.; Ogilvie, K. (2008),
Optimization of neutral atom imagers, American Geophysical Union, Abstract #SM41B-1684 presented at
2008 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, CA, 15-19 Dec.
Erin Balsamo
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
balsamo1@umbc.edu , erinbalsamo@gmail.com
(410) 908-7423
Awards
Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP)
Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need
(GAANN)
Cum Laude – McDaniel College
Harry Clary Jones Scholarship Fund for Physics
Dean’s List – McDaniel College
2011-present
2009-2011
2009
2008
2006-2009
Organizations
PGSA – Physics Graduate Student Association
Office Held: Secretary (2010-2011)
Sigma Pi Sigma (Physics Honor Society)
Kappa Mu Epsilon (Math Honor Society)
Historian 2008-09
Gamma Sigma Sigma National Service Sorority
Historian 2008
Society of Physics Students, McDaniel College
President 2008-09
McDaniel Cross Country and Track & Field
Certifications
Network +
Erosion and Sediment Control
2009-present
December 2008-present
Spring 2007-present
Spring 2006-present
Fall 2005-present
Fall 2005-present
February 2012
2004
Computer Skills
Programming:
Python (v2.7): Scipy, Numpy, Matplotlib, Atpy, Pyfits, Tkinter
Mathematica
IDL
MatLab
Java
Operation Systems:
Windows: XP, Vista, 2007
Linux: Ubuntu (v10.4-12.4), Red Hat, Scientific Linux
Mac
Software:
LaTex
Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Sigma Plot
Express PCB
ImageJ
Erin Balsamo
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
balsamo1@umbc.edu , erinbalsamo@gmail.com
(410) 908-7423
Gimp
DS9
Technical Skills
Thin foil X-ray optics fabrication
Laboratory techniques
X-ray Beam operation
X-ray data analysis
Circuit board construction and creation
Soldering
Drill press and other machinery
Work Experience
2011-present
Research Assistant with Dr. Keith C. Gendreau at NASA GSFC
2011-present
Supervising and working with high school and undergraduate interns in the Keith
Gendreau’s lab
2009-2011
Teaching assistant for introductory physics Lab at UMBC
2010-present
Avon sales representative
Summer 2010
NASA Summer Intern (CRESST)
Summer 2009
NASA Summer Intern (SPS)
November 4, 2008
Election Poll Voting Unit Judge
2008-2009
Teaching assistant for introductory physics Lab at McDaniel College
Summer 2008
NASA Summer Intern (JCET)
2008
Math and Physics Tutor
January 2008
January Term Research at McDaniel College
2007-2009
Computer lab attendant and computer science tutor
2006
Calculus tutor
2004-2007
Patapsco Valley State Park, MD (Ranger, maintenance, control attendant)
Erin Balsamo
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
balsamo1@umbc.edu , erinbalsamo@gmail.com
(410) 908-7423
Research Experience
Pre-Doctoral Candidacy Research at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center through UMBC
(2010-present)
Working with the XACT and NICER team, we are developing the next generation thin
foil epoxy replicated X-ray mirror. XACT will demonstrate X-ray polarization as a
flight ready technique and NICER is an International Space Station mission to study
neutron stars’ interior composition. I study the mirror development and analyze the
performance by developing my own analysis code in Python. I am also working with
XACT’s detector team for polarimeter calibration. In addition, I supervise high
school and undergraduate interns in the lab during their research experience.
NASA Summer Intern at Goddard Space Flight Center through CRESST at UMBC for predoctoral candidacy research (Summer 2010)
I worked with the X-Ray Advanced Concepts Testbed (XACT) research group and
designed a large collimator that is used for the alignment of the XACT rocket
instruments within 10 arc seconds. This collimator can be converted into a
telescope.
Society of Physics Students (SPS) Intern at NASA Summer Intern at Goddard Space Flight
Center (Summer 2009)
Working with my mentor, Fred Herrero, I was able to learn about different projects
going on in the detector development department at Goddard. An experimental
project included testing the noise levels in an electrical system. I constructed a
circuit for the amplification of input voltage while learning about electrical
engineering. The theoretical project this summer was about researching the idea of
using a point and shoot digital camera’s CCD in a star tracking camera. Using this
CCD would reduce the cost of a CubeSat flight.
NASA Summer Intern at Goddard Space Flight Center and University of Maryland, College
Park through Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) intern at NASA Summer
Intern at Goddard Space Flight Center and University of Maryland, College Park (Summer
2008)
The main focus of my research was to determine the conversion efficiency of neutral
atoms into negative ions by reflecting the neutral atom beam off of different surfaces
and sending them through an ion amplification lens and detector, similar to the one
on the Low Energy Neutral Atom (LENA) Imager on the satellite IMAGE. My work is
described in the paper “Improvements in neutral atom imagers using material and
incident angle selection,” which is in the process of being published by some NASA
scientists. Other experience I gained during this internship was the construction of
multichannel plate detectors and design and construction of PCB boards. I designed
Erin Balsamo
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
balsamo1@umbc.edu , erinbalsamo@gmail.com
(410) 908-7423
a board for one and two dimensional detection anode, which is used to determine
where the negative ions hit the detector.
January Term Research at McDaniel College with Dr. Pagonis (January 2008)
This research is described in the peer review publication “Simulation of the predose
dating technique for the retrospective dosimetry and authenticity testing.” Using a
previously published model for dating quartz, we were able to simulate the
experimental steps using Mathematica to determine the accuracies in the model.