This profile series introduces scientists who support projects at Caltech/IPAC while carrying out their own scientific research.
In this profile, we feature Teresa Symons, an assistant staff scientist who works on NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor.
NEO Surveyor is a NASA mission designed to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids that are near the Earth. It is scheduled to launch no later than June 2028. IPAC is home to the NEO Surveyor Survey Data Center (NSSDC) that is responsible for NEO Surveyor survey data processing. IPAC is also home to the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), which will serve the final survey data to the public. As the source detection and photometry scientist, Teresa plays a critical role on the NSSDC team.
Scientifically, Teresa has made measurements of the cosmic optical background, a relic of all galaxy formation and evolution across cosmic time. Teresa is also a member of the science team for SPHEREx, an upcoming NASA survey mission that will provide near-infrared spectra across the entire sky to address fundamental questions in many areas, from star formation to cosmology.
Tell us something about your childhood dreams. Did you already have a fascination with space/night sky/astronomy when you were growing up?
I grew up watching Star Trek and Space Shuttle launches on TV, so I was always interested in space and in humanity's passion for exploring and learning more about our universe. I owe much of this curiosity to my parents, who introduced me to lots of science fiction books, movies, and TV shows from a young age, including Star Trek, Contact, and Dune. They also took me to many science centers and museums, where I learned that I love solving puzzles and figuring things out, along with NASA centers including Goddard, Wallops, and Kennedy. I loved learning about both crewed and robotic NASA missions and space exploration. In fact, when I was learning about the Apollo missions and saw Space Shuttle astronauts on TV, I definitely wanted to become an astronaut myself. Unfortunately, I was too short (and still am) to become an astronaut!
By the time I was in high school, I was seriously considering pursuing science as a career. I attended a summer astronomy program for high school students at Alfred University in New York that was like a week-long crash course in what it means to be an astronomer. That was the first time I ever used large telescopes for night sky observing and learned about cosmology. After that program, I knew that I wanted to study space in college.
Describe your education and path towards a Ph.D. degree in astronomy?
I majored in space physics at Embry−Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, which also allowed me to pursue a minor in science communication as I have always been interested in writing and graphic design. Embry−Riddle is a small college focused entirely on space and aviation-related degrees, so even though I was studying physics, I took many classes with engineering students who were focused on designing satellites and building instruments. I began participating in research on electron fluctuations in the ionosphere and binary black hole mergers, two very disparate topics, but I still maintained a heavy interest in NASA missions and the work that goes into making them happen. It was pretty cool to live in Daytona Beach as it is located so close to the Kennedy Space Center, and the Space Shuttle launches were still taking place from there at the time.
After completing my undergraduate degree, I spent a year working in science outreach and education. First, I was a science instructor at Astrocamp, a non-profit provider of educational programs to school groups, where I taught a series of hands-on classes on physics, astronomy, and engineering topics. This involved night-time observing with telescopes, planetarium work, looking for micrometeorites, building bottle rockets to launch, and working underwater to simulate the microgravity conditions of space. Later, I was an educator at a local science center providing science programming for summer camp students.
I then started graduate school at the University of Kansas, where I completed my master's degree in computational physics and astronomy. My research focused on computational techniques for automated aperture photometry. Following this, I pursued a Ph.D. in astrophysical sciences and technology at the Rochester Institute of Technology. My early research allowed me to join the SPHEREx science team working on the PSF reconstruction algorithm for SPHEREx's data processing pipeline. Later, my dissertation focused on using data taken by the LORRI instrument on New Horizons to measure the extragalactic background light.
Following my Ph.D., I started a postdoc at UC Irvine continuing my work with SPHEREx on extended PSF reconstruction.
(Left): Comparison of Teresa Symons's recent measurement (black star) of the cosmic optical background (COB) to the integrated galactic light (IGL). Other COB measurements and their sources are labeled on the plot with various colors and symbols. The yellow region gives constraints on the COB from gamma-ray observations, and the teal region gives the upper limit on the IGL from galaxy counts based on observations from the Hubble Deep Field (teal asterisks) and Subaru Deep Field (pink triangles). The intensity of the Zodiacal Light at 1 and 5 AU is shown with gray lines to highlight how challenging it is to accurately measure the COB from Earth. (Right): Teresa Symons created this image illustrating New Horizons’ journey into interstellar space with LORRI peering out into the darkness. While New Horizons in the outer Solar System avoids complications in measuring the extragalactic background light due to Zodiacal Light, dust in the Milky Way poses a major challenge. Components used are credited to NASA/JPL-Caltech/APL/SwRI.
Who were your mentors and role models while pursuing an astronomy career and how did they influence your path towards your current job?
From a young age, I had several excellent teachers who encouraged me and helped me to realize my potential, including my parents, both of whom are teachers and always supported and encouraged my interests. My high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Jeffrey Wolfe, imparted his love and enthusiasm for the scientific process of figuring things out and challenged his students to turn any part of chemistry into a fun game, which really influenced how I perceived and interacted with science. Even though I did not end up pursuing chemistry, in many ways this influenced how I approach solving problems in physics and astronomy, and why I love research.
My master's advisor, Prof. Barbara Anthony−Twarog, was very supportive of the slightly non-traditional path that I took on the road to my Ph.D. and helped me develop a plan to achieve my goals. Her support and the opportunities she provided allowed me to complete my Ph.D. My doctoral advisor, Prof. Michael Zemcov, gave me insight into how new missions are proposed and the work that goes into making them possible. Through his introduction to the SPHEREx mission, I gained several collaborators at Caltech/IPAC and JPL. Once I saw the work that IPAC was doing, I knew that I would one day like to work here.
What do you love about your current job at IPAC? What are your impressions of IPAC and IPACers so far?
A consistent theme throughout my career, and my life, has been my love for space missions, NASA or otherwise. I have always enjoyed learning about new proposed missions and getting to work on various aspects of data pipeline development, or even data analysis. What I love about IPAC is this is a place that makes missions happen. There are so many people supporting so many different aspects of current, upcoming, and proposed missions. My current work supporting NEO Surveyor is very interesting because it is so different from things I have worked on in the past as I do not have a background in planetary science.
Among my first impressions of IPAC is that the work environment is very collaborative. There is such a wide breadth of expertise, and everyone has their own unique research interests. The people at IPAC also have a stunning amount of experience with many different missions. It is very exciting that I have so much to learn from those around me.
Tell us an unusual or funny story that happened to you while you were a student or post-doc.
When I was in graduate school, my university sent a photographer to my advisor's lab to take promotional photos of students "doing physics" to advertise the new physics master's degree program on their website. My research was purely computational, and I had never worked in the lab, but there was not anyone else around at the time, so I was recruited to be in the photos. Something in the lab needed to be disassembled, so I was given a screwdriver and told to start taking things apart. Those photos were on the website for the next few years, and every so often someone who knew me would come across them and ask me why I was in the lab or what I was doing with the screwdriver. Apparently, photos of physicists using computers was not exciting enough.
How do you like to spend your time when you are not working? Any dreams you still want to pursue?
One of the bonuses of working at IPAC that I have gleaned is that there is a healthy separation of work and personal interests that allows IPACers to pursue outside interests. I enjoy taking care of a large collection of plants, reading and watching science fiction, and playing video games, such as puzzle exploration games like Myst and its sequels where you have to figure things out, very similarly to how science is done. I also enjoy playing a wide variety of tabletop games, and the antics of my cat. I have a musical background and am currently learning to play the piano. I also love making things, including creative writing, digital design, including logos and flyers, and assorted arts and crafts.
I would like to further pursue my passion for science education and outreach. I enjoy working with students of all ages, enabling them to see science as a potential future career and themselves as potential future scientists. I hope I can continue my outreach interests at IPAC and help the ICE team here with outreach events.
