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Maria Weber

Department
Math and Sciences

Position
Assistant Professor of Physics and Planetarium Director

Education

  • 2010-2014 Ph.D. in Physics – Colorado State University, Fort Collins
    Area of Concentration – Solar Physics
  • 2008-2010 M.S. in Physics – Colorado State University, Fort Collins
  • 2004-2008 Dual B.S. in Physics and Philosophy – University of Evansville, Evansville, IN
    Minor – Mathematics
    Honors – Magna Cum Laude, Honors Program

Research Focus

  • stellar magnetohydrodynamics
  • magnetic flux emergence
  • solar physics
  • stellar dynamo theory
  • fundamental stellar fluid dynamics
  • sunspots/starspots
  • M dwarfs
  • numerical simulations
  • physics and astronomy education research

Courses taught

  • PHY 105 – Introductory Astronomy
  • PHY 221 – Physics for the Life Sciences I
  • PHY 222 – Physics for the Life Sciences II
  • PHY 233 – Physics for the Life Sciences Lab I
  • PHY 234 – Physics for the Life Sciences Lab II

Awards, Fellowships, & Professorships

  • 2020-2021 – R.L. Wiley Professor in Sciences, Delta State University
  • 2017 – NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship (AAPF)
  • 2015 – Thomas Metcalf SPD Travel Award and Lecturer
  • 2013 – High Altitude Observatory John W. Firor Publication Award
  • 2012 – Outstanding Student Paper, 4 Corners APS Conference
  • 2011 – Outstanding Student Paper, Fall AGU Conference
  • 2010 – Outstanding Student Paper, 4 Corners APS conference

Additional Skills

  • Computer programming: Fortran, C, Java, IDL, Python
  • Science communication – oral
  • Science communication – written
  • Outreach programming
  • Event planning
  • Team management skills
  • Teaching
  • Scientific visualization
  • 3D printing technology
  • Planetarium management
  • Digital planetarium show and content development
  • Evans and Sutherland Digistar 6 user
  • YouTube content creator and editor

Publications

  • Supporting Underrepresented High School students in Facilitating Solar Eclipse Outreach in Collaboration with Solar Physics Experts. Raftery, C., Brown, Z., Williams, J., Ben, T., Solano, E., Olmos-Garcia, D., Rachmeler, L., & Weber, M.A., 2018, ASP Conference Series
  • Modeling the Rise of Fibril Magnetic Fields in Fully Convective Stars. Weber, M.A., & Browning, M.K., 2016, ApJ, 827, 95. ADS: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ApJ…827…95W DOI: 10.3847/0004-637X/827/2/95
  • Theoretical limits on magnetic field strengths in low-mass stars. Browning, M.K., Weber, M.A., Chabrier, G., & Massey, A.P., 2016, ApJ, 818, 189. ADS: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ApJ…818..189B DOI: 10.3847/0004-637X/818/2/189
  • Effects of Radiative Diffusion on Thin Flux Tubes in Turbulent Solar-like Convection. Weber, M.A., & Fan, Y., 2015, Sol. Phys., 290, 1295. ADS: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015SoPh..290.1295W DOI: 10.1007/s11207-015-0674-3
  • Comparing Simulations of Rising Flux Tubes Through the Solar Convection Zone with Observations of Solar Active Regions: Constraining the Dynamo Field Strength. Weber, M.A., Fan, Y., & Miesch, M.S., 2013, Sol. Phys., 287, 239. ADS: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013SoPh..287..239W DOI: 10.1007/s11207-012-0093-7
  • A Theory on the Convective Origins of Active Longitudes on Solar-like Stars. Weber, M.A., Fan, Y., & Miesch, M.S., 2013, ApJ, 770, 149. ADS: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013ApJ…770..149W DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/770/2/149
  • The Rise of Active Region Flux Tubes in the Turbulent Solar Convective Envelope. Weber, M. A., Fan, Y., & Miesch, M.S., 2011, ApJ, 741, 11. John W. Firor Publication Award. ADS: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011ApJ…741…11W DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/741/1/11
  • Seasonal and local time variability of ripples from airglow imager observations in US and Japan. Yue, J., Nakamura, T., She, C.Y., Weber, M., Lyons, W., & Li, T., 2010, Ann. Geophys., 28, 1401. Link: http://www.ann-geophys.net/28/1401/2010/angeo-28-1401-2010.html

Conference Proceedings

  • Dynamo Processes Constrained by Solar and Stellar Observations. Weber, M.A., 2018, Proceedings of the IAUS 340: Long Term Datasets for the Understanding of Solar and Stellar Magnetic Cycles. DOI: 10.1017/S1743921318001424
  • On the Suppression of Magnetic Flux Emergence by Convective Motions in Fully Convective Stars. Weber, M.A., Browning, M.K., Boardman, S., Clarke, J., Pugsley, S., & Townsend, E., 2017, Proceedings of the IAUS 328: Living Around Active Stars. ADS: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017arXiv170304982W
  • Magnetic Cycles and Hints of Flux Emergence in Solar and Stellar Dynamos. Miesch, M.S., Nelson, N.J., Brown, B.P., Augustson, K.C., Brun, A.S., Toomre, J., Dikpati, M., Weber, M.A., & Fan, Y., 2014, JPS Conf. Proc., 015099. Link: http://journals.jps.jp/doi/pdf/10.7566/JPSCP.1.015099

White Papers

  • IDEAS: Immersive Dome Experiences for Accelerating Science. Faherty, J.K., SubbaRao, M., Wyatt, R., Ynnerman, A., deGrasse Tyson, N., Gellar, A., Weber, M.A., Rosenfield, P., Steffen, W., Stoeckle, G., Weiskopf, D., Magnor, M., Willams, P.K.G., Abbott, B., Marchetti, L., Jarrett, T., Fay, J., Peek, J., Graur, O., Durrell, P., Homeier, D., Preston, H., Muller, T., Vos, J.M., Brown, D., Godfrey, P.G., Rice, E., Bardalez Gagliuffi, D., Bock, A., 2019, Astro2020 Decadal Survey White Paper, Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.05383

Office Hours

  • Monday: 12-4 PM
  • Tuesday: 11 AM – 12:30 PM
  • Wednesday: 1-4 PM
  • Thursday: 11 AM – 12:30 PM

 

Division of Mathematics & Sciences