Curriculum Vitae for Bryan Mendez
Bryan J. Méndez
3205 Yosemite Ave. El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 524-6167 bmendez@ssl.berkeley.edu
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/bmendez
Education
 
University of California, Berkeley, CA
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy & Astrophysics
 December 2002
  • Master of Arts in Astronomy & Astrophysics
 May 2000
 
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Bachelor of Science in General Physics and Astronomy & Astrophysics
 May 1997
  • Bachelor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance
 May 1997
Teaching and Public Outreach Experience
 
Space Science Education and Public Outreach Specialist
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA. 2002 - Present
Specialist for the Science Education Gateway program (SEGway), a part of the Center for Science Education at the UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory (CSE@SSL). Conduct science education and public outreach (E/PO) programs on a national scale. Collaborate with schools of Education, science departments, NASA missions, school districts, science museums, and planetaria. Develop high quality, customer focused E/PO products and services, facilitate scientist involvement in E/PO, participate in events communicating space science to the public, and provide professional development opportunities for educators.
Instructor
University of California, Berkeley, CA. Summer 2002
Taught Summer Session course, Introduction to General Astronomy. Managed all aspects of the course. Designed syllabus and course website. Prepared and delivered daily lectures. Created and graded exams. Designed and graded class projects.
Instructor
University of California, Berkeley, CA. Fall 2000, Fall 2001
Taught The Art of Teaching Astronomy, a seminar-style course for new astronomy Graduate Student Instructors. Served as a mentor for the new instructors. Managed all aspects of the course. Constructed syllabi of topics and led discussions. Provided instructors feedback on their teaching through in-class practice teaching, personal observation, and videotaping of their classes. Created of a repository of teaching resources for Graduate Student Instructors.
Instructor
Academic Talent Development Program, University of California, Berkeley, CA. Summer 2001
Taught two-weeks of a six-week course on Astronomy for high school students. Focused on the development of modern scientific methodology in the context of astronomy. Constructed a syllabus, composed daily lesson plans, wrote homework problem sets and solutions, and graded student work.
Instructor
University of California, Berkeley, CA. Summer 2000
Taught Summer Session course, Introduction to General Astronomy. Managed all aspects of the course. Designed syllabus and course website. Prepared and delivered daily lectures. Wrote weekly homework sets and prepared solutions. Created and graded exams. Designed and graded class projects.
Graduate Student Instructor
University of California, Berkeley, CA. Fall 1999, Spring 2001
Graduate Student Instructor for Introduction to Astrophysics, an introductory course in astrophysics for prospective astronomy majors taught by professors Andrew Melatos (1st Semester) and Geoff Marcy (2nd Semester). Led discussion sections, wrote homework sets and solutions, conducted exam review sessions, graded exams, maintained class website, and saw to administrative tasks.
Volunteer Astronomer
Project ASTRO, Berkeley, CA. 1998 - 2001
Collaborated with teachers of the 4th and 5th grades in developing an astronomy curriculum for the school year. Made visits to the classrooms to give presentations and assist in teaching astronomy units.
Graduate Student Instructor
University of California, Berkeley, CA. Fall 1997, Spring 1998
Graduate Student Instructor in Introduction to General Astronomy. Taught with professors Leo Blitz and Alex Filippenko. Maintained class website; wrote homeworks, exams, and solution sets; taught weekly discussion sections; and saw to sundry administrative tasks.
Content Developer
Windows to the Universe, University of Michigan and NASA, Ann Arbor, MI. Winter 1997
Development of the Universe section of the Windows to the Universe educational website. Involved in HTML programming and writing of hyperdocuments on astronomical topics.
Volunteer Scientist
The Mad Scientist Network 2000 - Present
Answer internet users' questions about astronomy and astrophysics. Answers are designed to be accessible by a general audience. Questioners span all demographics.
Volunteer
Student Astronomical Society, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 1994 - 1997
President, Secretary, and member of this student-run society. Organized and participated in regular public observing nights at University of Michigan's Angell Hall Observatory. Designed educational inreach program to bring local middle school students to the University and partcipate in hands-on learning sessions about astronomy.
Volunteer
Society of Physics Students, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 1994 - 1997
Member of this student-run society. Participated in educational inreach programs. Performed demonstrations and experiments designed to encourage interest in physics.
Scientific Research Experience
Graduate Student Researcher
University of California, Berkeley, CA. 1998 - 2002
Ph.D. dissertation, Advisor: Marc Davis, professor of Physics and Astronomy. A project to study the velocity field of local galaxies using the tip of the red giant branch to measure distances. Acquired and processed CCD image data of local galaxies in V and I bands using the Keck Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope. Developed software in IDL to reduce and analyze data.
Summer Intern
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. Summer 1997
Research Advisor: David Leisawitz. Project to determine the characteristics of stellar populations embedded in massive Galactic star-forming regions. Developed software in IDL to reduce and analyze near-infrared images in J, H, and K bands. Constructed false-color mosaics of the images.
Research Assistant
The Michigan Spectral Catalogue Project, Ann Arbor, MI. Fall 1996 - Spring 1997
Assisted in the publishing of the Fifth Volume of the Michigan Spectral Catalogue. Wrote FORTRAN 77 programs to read catalogue data, and perform typesetting using LaTeX.
Summer Intern
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD. Summer 1996
Research Advisor: David Soderblom. Project studying the chromospheric activity in nearby solar-type stars as a way to estimate their ages. Reduced CCD echelle spectra data using scientific software (IRAF: Image Reduction and Analysis Facility). Extracted and analyzed over 200 stellar spectra. Oral presentation of work given at the end of the summer.
Research Assistant
NSF Fellowship, Summer Research Opportunities Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 1995 - 1997
B.S. thesis, Advisor: Patrick Seitzer, professor of Astronomy. Project to establish precise CCD astrometric methods and use them to measure the proper motion of the Galactic globular cluster Palomar 15. Acquired and reduced CCD image data from the 1.3-meter telescope at the MDM Observatory, Kitt Peak, AZ.. Used scientific software to measure stellar positions. Developed FORTRAN software to carry out statistical analyses. Presented a poster paper of the research at the 187th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Publications

Mendez, B.; Craig, N.; Haisch, B.; Lindblom, J.; Hanisch, R.; Summers, F.; Abbott, B., The Digital Universe Coalition: Building a Prototype NVO E/PO Portal. 2004. American Astronomical Society Meeting 204, #78.05

 

Peticolas, L. M.; Manzanares, R. M.; Craig, N.; Luhmann, J. G.; Campion, E.; Mendez, B., Informal education: space weather music using sonification of solar wind data. 2004. American Astronomical Society Meeting 204, #78.01

 

Craig, N.; Price, A.; Mattei, J.; Mendez, B.; Hawkins, I., National Virtual Observatory Outreach: A Needs Analysis Study of Amateur Astronomers. 2004. American Astronomical Society Meeting 203, #118.18

 

Mendez, B. J.; Peticolas, L. M.; Schultz, G.; Craig, N., High Leverage NASA Education & Public Outreach Teacher Professional Development Programs. 2003. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #ED41D-1192

 

Peticolas, L. M.; Mendez, B.; Schultz, G.; Luhmann, J. G.; Craig, N., Using backward design in NASA educational resources. 2003. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #ED51C-1207

 

Mendez, B. J.; Craig, N., Education and Public Outreach Programs for Structure and Evolution of the Universe Themed Missions: CHIPS and SPIDR. 2003. American Astronomical Society Meeting 202, #10.19

 

Craig, N.; Mendez, B. J.; Peticolas, L., Education and Public Outreach Programs for RHESSI and STEREO/IMPACT Missions. 2003. American Astronomical Society Meeting 202, #10.18

 

Craig, N.; Mendez, B.; Luhmann, J.; Sircar, I., Sounds of space: listening to the Sun-Earth connection. 2003. EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, abstract #12731

 

Mendez, B.; Davis, M.; Newman, J.; Madore, B. F.; Freedman, W. L.; Moustakas, J., The Enigmatic Local Hubble Flow: Probing the Nearby Peculiar Velocity Field with Consistent Distances to Neighboring Galaxies. 2003. American Astronomical Society Meeting 201, #23.06D; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 34, #4

 

Mendez, B. J., The enigmatic local Hubble flow: Probing the nearby peculiar velocity field with consistent distances to neighboring galaxies. 2002. Thesis (PhD). UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, Source DAI-B 64/02, p. 764, Aug 2003, 168 pages.

 

Mendez, B.; Davis, M.; Moustakas, J.; Newman, J.; Madore, B.F.; Freedman, W.L. Deviations from the Local Hubble Flow. I. The Tip of the Red Giant Branch as a Distance Indicator. 2002. The Astronomical Journal, Volume 124, Issue 1, pp. 213-233.

Leisawitz, D.; Digel, S. W.; Guo, Z.; Mendez, B.; Hanson, M. M. A Study of the Infrared Spectral Energy Distributions of H II Regions. 1998. Star Formation with the Infrared Space Observatory, 24-26 June 1997, Lisbon, Portugal, edited by Joao Yun and Rene Liseau, Publisher: ASP, as volume 132 of ASP Conference Series. P. 101.

Guo, Z.; Digel, S.; Hanson, M.; Leisawitz, D.; Mendez, B. JHK Observations of Star Formation Regions. 1997. American Astronomical Society, 191st AAS Meeting, #06.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 29

Mendez, B.; Seitzer, P.O. Precision CCD Astrometry. 1996. American Astronomical Society, 187th AAS Meeting, #73.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 28

Computer Skills
  • Operating Systems: UNIX, Linux, MacIntosh, Microsoft Windows
  • Languages: FORTRAN, HTML, IDL
  • Data Processing: IRAF, SuperMongo, IDL, Excel
  • Word Processing: Word, WordPerfect, LaTeX, FrameMaker, EMACS
  • Image Manipulation: XV, Adobe Photoshop, The Gimp, Electric Eyes
  • Miscellaneous: StarOffice, PowerPoint, Maple, software installation
Fellowships and Honors
Professional Memberships
Musical Experience
Private Studies
Teaching Experience
  • Private Instructor, Traverse City, MI and Ann Arbor, MI. 1991-1995
    Instructed 6th-12th Grade students in saxophone performance. Worked with students individually to develop both their technical and artistic performance skills.
  • Section Coach, Plymouth-Canton Marching Band, Plymouth, MI. August-Nov. 1994
    Coached 30+ high school saxophone students in music to be performed in their marching band. Helped individuals with specific playing issues.
  • Saxophone Workshop Jazz Instructor, Interlochen Arts Camp and All-State at Interlochen, Interlochen, MI. July 1993
    Instructed ~15 high school aged students in Jazz improvisation on saxophone.
Ensemble Performance Experience
  • The Jazz School Adult Big Band (2003 - present)
  • The UC Berkeley Saxophone Quartet, Tenor Saxophone (2000 - 2001)
  • UC Jazz Ensembles' Wednesday Band, UC Berkeley (1998 - 2002)
  • Traverse City Senior High Alumni Jazz Band, 2nd Tenor (July 1997)
  • Ann Arbor Community Concert Band, 1st Tenor (Summer 1996)
  • UofM Commencement Band, Tenor Sax (May 1995)
  • Saxophone Quartet, Tenor, U of M sax studio members (1994 - 1996)
  • University Productions production of 42nd Street, Pit Orchestra, Clarinet and Tenor Sax (Winter 1995)
  • University of Michigan Symphony Band, 2nd Alto Sax (Winter 1995)
  • University of Michigan Wind Ensemble, 2nd Tenor (Winter 1995)
  • Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Tenor Sax (Winter 1995)
  • UofM Sax Studio Choir, Tenor (Winter 1995)
  • UofM Commencement Band, Tenor Sax (Dec. 1994)
  • University of Michigan Concert Band, Tenor Sax (Fall 1994)
  • University of Michigan Wind Ensemble, Tenor Sax (Fall 1994)
  • University of Michigan Concert Band, Tenor Sax (Winter 1994)
  • Saxophone Quartet, Alto & Tenor, All-State at Interlochen staff (Summer 1993)
  • The 4 Tops and The Temptations stage band, 2nd Alto, Interlochen Center for the Arts (July 1993)
  • U of M's Northcoast Jazz Ensemble, 1st Tenor (Winter 1993)
  • University of Michigan Concert Band, Tenor Sax (Winter 1993)