Arianna Nielsen
Astronomy and Astrophysics

I am an undergraduate student expected to graduate Spring 2026 in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at The Pennsylvania State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Astrophysics with a minor in Astrobiology.

My current research is under Pinchen Fan and Jason Wright at the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center. My role in this project is mainly working on the calibration for a pipeline to search for laser emission lines in one dimenstional spectra of stars. This involves using one-dimensional archival data to find the instrument efficiency and theoreitcal pipeline sensitivity of a pipeline. I presented some of this research at the PSETI Symposium, and the abstract and poster for this work can be found here.

I am the Inclusivity Chair on the executive board for Physics and Astronomy for Women + (PAW+) at The Pennsylvania State University. My contribution to the org involves promoting events from other inclusivity organizations, and highlighting minorities in science fields, particularly including physics and astronomy. Most recently, I hosted a table at the Science Equity and Diversity (SEeD) conference in March 2025, where I was able to speak with faculty and students speaking at or attending the conference.

Since January 2024 I have been a paid grader for the ASTRO7N course. This is a large course for undergraduate students at The Pennsylvania State University, mostly taken as a fullfillment for the natural sciences general education requirement. I spend time every week grading assignments and replying to emails from students taking the course.

Previously, I became certified to grade pulsar plots through the Pulsar Search Collaboratory in March 2023, where I became eligible to visit the Green Bank Telescope by grading more than 1000 pulsar plots. This occurred through my involvement in a research group with Ann Schmiedekamp at Penn State Abington, before I transferred to the Penn State University Park campus the next semester.