Curriculum Vitae

Styliani Kafka

Ph.D. Candidate - Indiana Univ. Astronomy Dept.





Current Address:
Indiana University,
Department of Astronomy,
Swain Hall West 319,
Bloomington, IN 47405,
U.S.A.

e-mail me!
(skafka at astro dot indiana dot edu)

Grab a recent copy of my resume here (updated: Oct 2004)


Indiana "Research and Creative Activity" Interview: Spying on the Stars

EDUCATION

1993-1998 : BS Physics - University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Undergraduate advisor: Dr. M. Kontizas

1998-1999 : University of Delaware - Dept. of Physics and Asrtonomy.

1999- :MA/PhD candidate, Indiana University - Astronomy Department.
Major in Astronomy - Double Minor in Physics & Geological Sciences
Research Advisor: Dr. R.K. Honeycutt


RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Cataclysmic Variables
Stellar Activity in Lower Main Sequence Stars
Photometric Monitoring of Open Clusters (WOCS)


HONORS & AWARDS:
The 2004 Hollis and Grete Johnson Award for Excellence in Student Research, Indiana University.
1999 Excellence in Teaching Award for Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Delaware

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
2002 - 2005: Organizer for the Astronomy Lunch Seminar Series.
2003 - 2005: Astronomy Dept. Associate Instruction Assignment Committee.
2003 - 2004: Astronomy Graduate Student Leader.
1999 - 2004: Member, Organizing Committee of the Indiana Science Olympiad State Tournament.
1999 - 2004: Participant in Departmental Outreach Activities: Day and night time open house of the Kirkwood 12-inch refractor and solar telescopes & the annual Physics & Astronomy Open House.
Spring 2001: Participation at the IU Women In Science workshop on How to Present Research Papers in Poster Form

TALKS:
VY Scl low states in CVs: the Revenge of the Secondary, IU Lunch Seminar Series, Oct. 2004.
WOCS Variability: Monitoring NGC 6939 - Presented at ``Variable Stars 2004'', Bowling Green State University (OH)
Q Cyg: Surprises from an Old Nova, IU Lunch Seminar Series, Oct. 2003
Stellar Activity on the Lower Main Sequence in Praesepe - Presented in JENAM 2003, Budapest (Hungary), August 2003.
The Puzzling Behavior of QQ Vul, IU Lunch Seminar Series, Nov. 2002
WOCS photometric monitoring of open clusters: Variable stars in NGC 6791 and NGC 188} - Presented in ``Interplay Between Periodic, Cyclic and Stochastic Variability in Selected Areas of the HR Diagram'', Brussels, July 2002.
The European Astronomical Society, IU Seminar Series, March 2002.
Fishing For Variables in NGC 6791, IU Lunch Seminar Series, Feb. 2002.

PUBLICATIONS from ADS

POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
Long-Term Monitoring of CVs, Honeycutt, R.K., Kafka, S., Adams, B., Kopp, W., Ost, E. & Turner, G., Meeting of the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, Challenger Learning Center, Brownsburg, Indiana, April 2004.
Long-Term Monitoring of CVsWIYN discovery of an outflow from Q Cyg, Kafka, S., Tappert, C., Honeycutt, R.~K., & Bianchini, A., Meeting of the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, Challenger Learning Center, Brownsburg, Indiana, April 2004.
WIYN Open Cluster Study: New Variable Stars in NGC 6939, Gibbs, D., Kafka, S., Henden, A.~A., & Honeycutt, R.K. 2003, American Astronomical Society Meeting, 203, Atlanta.
A Recent Low State in the Old Nova DK Lac, Hoffman, D., Honeycutt, R.K., Kafka, S., & Henden, A.A. 2003, American Astronomical Society Meeting, 203, Atlanta.
Systematics of superhumps in the SU UMa Dwarf Nova V1159 Orionis, Robertson., J., Pitts, M., Honeycutt, R.K., Kafka, S., Campbell, T., & Campbell, J., presented at the Arkansas Academy of Science 2003 Annual Meeting - University of Arkansas.
Q Cyg: outflow from a long period old nova, Kafka, S., Tappert, C., Honeycutt, R.~K., & Bianchini, A. 2003, American Astronomical Society Meeting, 202, Nashville.
WOCS - Variability Studies of Open Clusters, Kafka, S. & Honeycutt, R.K., Meeting of the Indiana Space Grant Consortium, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, April 2003.
WOCS Photometric Monitoring of Open Clusters: new variables in NGC 6791 & NGC 188, Kafka, S. & Honeycutt, R.K., 2002, American Astronomical Society Meeting, 201, Seattle.
WOCS Photometric Monitoring of Open Clusters: discovery of new variables in NGC6791 & NGC188, Kafka, S. Honeycutt, R.K., WIYNfest, IU Astronomy Dept.,2002.
A Presentation of RoboScope Lightcurves, Kafka, S. & Honeycutt, R.K., WIYNfest, IU Astronomy Dept., 2002.
WOCS Photometric Monitoring of Open Clusters: the Very Old Cluster NGC 6791, Kafka, S. & Honeycutt, R.K., presented in Women in Science Research Day, March 2001.
WOCS Photometric Monitoring of Open Clusters: the Very Old Cluster NGC 6791, Kafka, S. & Honeycutt, R.K. 2001, American Astronomical Society Meeting, 199, Washington DC.
WOCS Photometric Monitoring of Open Cluster: the CVs of NGC 6791, Kafka, S., Honeycutt, R.K., WIYNfest, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison 2001.
Long-term Changes in the Orbital Light Curve of the Polar QQ Vulpeculae, Kafka, S. & Honeycutt, R.K. 2000, American Astronomical Society Meeting, 197, San Diego.

REU MENTORING:
Summer 2004 - Supervising REU student Stephanie Cortes (Clemson Univ.) on WOCS variability
Summer 2003 - Supervising REU student Danny Gibbs (Univ. of Wyoming) on WOCS variability

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
Summer 2003 - : instructor of independent study course A100 "The Solar System"
Summer 2001: Instructor - A100: "A Tour of our Solar System"; Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.
Summer 2000: Instructor - A100: "The Solar System"; Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.

Fall 1998: Teaching Assistant - Physics 202, University of Delaware, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Spring 1999: Teaching Assistant - Physics 202, University of Delaware, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Fall 1999: Associate Instructor - E105: "Gravity, The Great Attractor"; Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.
Spring 2000: Associate Instructor - A105: "Stars & Galaxies"; Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.
Fall 2000: Associate Instructor - A100: "The Solar System"; Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.
Spring 2001: Associate Instructor - A105: "Stars & Galaxies"; Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.
Fall 2001: Associate Instructor - A100: "The solar system"; Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.
Fall 2001: Associate Instructor - A320: "Computational Problems in Astronomy" (for Astronomy majors); Indiana Univ., Astronomy Dept.


MISCELLANEOUS CONTRIBUTIONS:
Revision of the study guide for the A100 - The solar system, Independent Study Program (IU School of Continuing Studies). (Winter 2004)
M3 - Astronomy Picture of the Day; Sept. 15, 2003
NOAO image gallery - image of M3 taken with the WIYN 3.5m/WTTM (Spring 2003).
Manual for data reductions of Mini-Mosaic Images (Spring 2003).
Contribution in the Handbook for Graduate Teaching Assistants University of Delaware, 1999-2000 (Summer 2000).


PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:

Junior member of the American Astronomical Society
Member of the European Astronomical Society
Member of the Amateur Astronomical Society, Athens (Greece)




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Updated: Oct 2004