Abigail (Abbie) Stevens is the public programming manager at the MSU Museum CoLab Studio. Previously, she has been an NSF- and NASA-funded astronomy researcher, and she maintains active research ties via STROBE-X, NICER, and Stingray. Before moving to Michigan, Abbie did her PhD at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, her MSc at the University of Alberta in Canada, and her BA at Bard College in upstate New York.
One of Abbie’s favorite aspects of being a scientist is speaking with people about astronomy, physics, and space science. She also loves incorporating scientific concepts in art and storytelling via hands-on workshops, performances and presentations, and advising on creative projects. Please get in touch if you’re interested in public outreach programs or science consulting.
Abbie is also a fierce advocate for mental health and wellbeing in academia, and has led multiple seminars and discussions with fellow academics.
Latest Blog Posts
- STROBE-X
Exciting things are happening in high-energy astrophysics! The 2020 Astro Decadal Survey (which came out in late 2021) specifically mentioned developing a medium-sized (“Probe-class”) X-ray or infrared telescope mission in the coming decade for launch in the 2030s, and those of us who work in the dynamic high-energy sky were already on it. I’ve been … - Advice on graduate school and postdoc applicationsI was invited to speak at La Escuela Latinoamericana de Relatividad y Astrofísica (ELRA) 2021 today and give some advice for applying for graduate school and postdocs in astronomy and astrophysics. I pre-recorded the talks, which you can watch below! This advice is based on my own experience in the US, Canadian, and Dutch higher …
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- Neutron star mini-lecture for supernovaember
Curious about ‘zombie star’ neutron stars and excited for supernovaember? Take a look at the mini-lecture video I made for my Integrative Studies in Physics class! Full transcript below. Transcript: Hello everyone, in this mini-lecture we’re going to talk about neutron stars. Neutron stars are the dead remnants left over from the supernovae of stars … - The light at the end of the teaching tunnel
I’m over halfway through my first semester of teaching! I’d been a teaching assistant and ran laboratory physics sections and an observational astronomy practical lab, but never before had I been an instructor-of-record. The [Adjunct] Prof. We’ve gotten through the awkward start and the growing pains, and settled into a nice rhythm for the synchronous …