Jason Hyrum Steffen
Brinson Postdoctoral Fellow
Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics
Mail: PO Box 500, MS 127, Batavia, IL 60510
Citizenship: United States of America

Education
2006 -- Doctor of Philosophy in Physics
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Dissertation: Detecting New Planets in Transiting Systems

2003 -- Master of Science in Physics
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

2000 -- Bachelor of Science in Physics and in Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude
Weber State University, Ogden, Utah

Research Interests
Extrasolar Planets, Dark Matter/Energy, Gravitation, Cosmology, Data Analysis Techniques

Employment
2006--Present -- Brinson Postdoctoral Fellow, Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics
2001--2006 -- Research Assistant, University of Washington, Seattle
1999 -- National Science Foundation REU Intern, Inst. for Nuclear Theory, Seattle, WA
1998--2000 -- Research Assistant, Weber State University

Academic Positions
2007--Present -- Faculty Member at Waubonsee Community College, Department of Physics
Course: Introduction to Astronomy
2008 -- Science Program Architect, DeVry University Online
2001--2006 -- Faculty Member at Edmonds Community College, Department of Physics
Courses: The Solar System, Stars and Galaxies, Physics in Everyday Life
2005 -- Faculty Member at Bellevue Community College, Department of Physics
Course: Physics for Scientists and Engineers
2000--2001 -- Faculty Member at Salt Lake Community College, Department of Mathematics
Course: Intermediate Algebra

Non-academic Employment
1997--Present -- Private Tutor: Astronomy, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics
2003--2004 -- Pedagogical Consultant and Problem Writer, Kinetic Books, Seattle, Washington
2000--2001 -- Embedded Software Engineer, L-3 Communications, Salt Lake City, Utah
2000 -- Pricing Analyst, McLeod USA Telecommunications, Salt Lake City, Utah
1998--2000 -- Planetarium Lecturer, Layton Ott Planetarium, Ogden, Utah
1997--1999 -- Supplemental Instruction Leader: Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah

Grants
2008--2011 -- Kepler Participating Scientist with NASA's Kepler mission, ``Detecting Additional Planets in Transiting Systems Using Transit Timing Variations'' (PI -- $170,000).
2007 -- Spitzer Space Telescope Cycle 4, ``Detecting Mars-mass planets with transit timing'' (Co-I).
2005--2006 -- Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Grant from the NASA Office of Space Science, ``Finding New Planets in Transiting Systems''.

Awards
Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics
Brinson Postdoctoral Fellowship (2006)
University of Washington, Department of Physics
Mellam Fellowship (2001), Physics Department Fellowship (2001)
Weber State University, Department of Physics
Outstanding Physics Graduate (2000), Paul H. Huish Scholarship (1999), Questar Corporation Scholarship (1998), Jim Bateman Scholarship (1998), Mary Margaret Clarke Scholarship (1997)
Weber State University, Department of Mathematics
Outstanding Mathematics Graduate (2000), Jerry Fields Award (1999)
Other
Outstanding Undergraduate Presentation at the Fall 1999 Meeting of the Four Corners Section of the American Physical Society (1999), Weber State University Presidential Commendation Scholarship (1993)
Professional Affiliations and Honor Societies
American Astronomical Society, Golden Key National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, Sigma Xi National Research Honor Society

Leadership/Service
2006--Present -- Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics: Chalk Talk organizer, Munch organizer, Seminar organizer, webmaster, and various committees member.
2006--Present -- Referee for the Astrophysical Journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Astroparticle Physics
1999--2000 -- President of Society of Physics Students, Weber State University Chapter
1998--2000 -- Secretary of Golden Key National Honor Society, Weber State University Chapter

Publications

Peer Reviewed

Chou, A.S., Wester, W., Baumbaugh, A., Gustafson, H.R., Irizarry-Valle, Y., Mazur, P.O., Steffen, J.H., Tomlin, R., Upadhye, A., Weltman, A., Yang, X., & Yoo, J., "Search for chameleon particles using a photon regeneration technique", Physical Review Letters, Submitted, (2008). arXiv:0806.2438

Steffen, J.H., Moore, M.W., & Boynton, P.E., "Optimal Estimation of Several Linear Parameters in the Presence of Lorentzian Thermal Noise", Classical and Quantum Gravity, Submitted, (2008). arXiv:0805.0027

Steffen, J.H., "A statistical mechanics model for free-for-all airplane passenger boarding", American Journal of Physics, Vol. 76, No. 12, pp. 1114-1119, (2008). arXiv:0803.3199

Steffen, J.H. & Valenzuela, O., "Constraints on the angular distribution of satellite galaxies about spiral hosts", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 387, p. 1199 (2008). arXiv:0712.2363

Steffen, J.H., "Optimal boarding method for airline passengers", Journal of Air Transport Management, Volume 14, Issue 3, pp. 146-150, (2008). arXiv:0802.0733

Chou, A.S., Wester, W., Baumbaugh, A., Gustafson, H.R., Irizarry-Valle, Y., Mazur, P.O., Steffen, J.H., Tomlin, R., Yang, X., Yoo, J., "Search for axion-like particles using a variable baseline photon regeneration technique", Physical Review Letters, 100, 080402, (2008). arXiv:0710.3783

Agol, E. & Steffen, J.H., "A limit on the presence of Earth-mass planets around a Sun-like star", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 374, p. 941 (2007). arXiv:astro-ph/0610159

Steffen, J.H. & Agol, E., "An analysis of the transit times of TrES-1b", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters, Volume 364, Issue 1, p. 96, (2005). arXiv:astro-ph/0509656

Moore, M.W., Steffen, J.H., & Boynton, P.E., "Optimal determination of the equilibrium displacement of a damped harmonic oscillator in the presence of thermal noise", Review of Scientific Instruments, Volume 76, p. 085106 (2005). arXiv:physics/0412102

Agol, E., Steffen, J., Sari, R., & Clarkson, W., "On detecting terrestrial planets with the timing of giant planet transits", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 359, Issue 2, pp. 567-579 (2005). arXiv:astro-ph/0412032

Steffen, J.H., "Exploring 5th force interactions with 18th century technology", International Journal of Modern Physics D, Volume 13, Issue 10, pp. 2249-2254 (2004). arXiv:gr-qc/0503081


Conference Proceedings and Other

Steffen, Jason H., for the GammeV collaboration, "Constraints on Chameleons and Axion-like Particles from the GammeV Experiment", Proceedings of identification of dark matter 2008, Proceedings of Science, (2008). arXiv:0810.5070

Agol, Eric; Cowan, Nicolas B.; Bushong, James; Knutson, Heather; Charbonneau, David; Deming, Drake; & Steffen, Jason H., "Transits and secondary eclipses of HD 189733 with Spitzer", Proceedings of IAU Symposium No. 253 "Transiting Planets", (2008). arXiv:0807.2434

Steffen, Jason H., Gaudi, B. Scott, Ford, Eric B., Agol, Eric, & Holman, Mathew J., "Detecting and Characterizing Planetary Systems with Transit Timing", White paper submitted to the Exoplanet Task Force, (2007). arXiv:0704.0632

Jason H. Steffen & Eric Agol, "Developments in Planet Detection using Transit Timing Variations", ASP Conference Series, "Transiting Extrasolar Planets Workshop" MPIA Heidelberg Germany, Eds: Cristina Afonso, David Weldrake & Thomas Henning, ASPC, Volume 366, p. 158, (2007). arXiv:astro-ph/0612442

P.E. Boynton, R.M. Bonicalzi, A.M. Kalet, A.M. Kleczewski, J.K. Lingwood, K.J. McKenney, M.W. Moore, J.H. Steffen, E.C. Berg, W.D. Cross, R.D. Newman, & R.E. Gephart, "Gravitation Physics at BGPL", Proceedings of the Francesco Melchiorri Memorial Conference, New Astronomy Reviews, Volume 51, p. 334, (2007). arXiv:gr-qc/0609095

Jason H. Steffen, Ph.D. Dissertation, "Detecting new planets in transiting systems", (2006). arXiv:astro-ph/0609492

Berg, E.C., Cross, W.D., Newman, R.D., Boynton, P.E., Moore, M.W., & Steffen, J.H., "Planned tests of the equivalence principle with a cryogenic torsion pendulum", Contribution to Testing The Equivalence Principle on Ground and in Space, Ed. Lammerzahl, C., Everitt, C.W.F., & Ruffini, R., (Springer-Verlag: London), (2005).

Steffen, J.H., "Symmetry in a perturbed optical system", (2005). arXiv:physics/0503129

Berg, E.C., Bantel, M.K., Cross, W.D., Inoue, T, Newman, R.D., Steffen, J.H., Moore, M.W., & Boynton, P.E., "Laboratory tests of gravitational physics using a cryogenic torsion pendulum", Proceedings of 10th Marcel Grossman Meeting, Ed. Ruffini, R., et al. (World Scientific: Singapore), (2005). arXiv:gr-qc/0403021

Talks, Posters, Abstracts
Talk: Constraints on Chameleons and Axion-like Particles from the GammeV Experiment, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Physics Seminar, Livermore, CA (November 2008).
Talk: Constraints on Chameleons and Axion-like Particles from the GammeV Experiment, University of California at Santa Cruz Physics Seminar, Santa Cruz, CA (November 2008).
Talk: Constraints on Chameleons and Axion-like Particles from the GammeV Experiment, University of Washington Physics Seminar, Seattle, WA (October 2008).
Talk: Constraints on Chameleons and Axion-like Particles from the GammeV Experiment, Identification of Dark Matter 2008, Stockholm, Sweden (August 2008).
Talk: Extrasolar Planet Detection via Transit Timing Variations, Carnegie Department of Terrestrial Magnetism Extrasolar Planets Seminar, Washington DC (March 2008).
Talk: Extrasolar Planet Detection via Transit Timing Variations, University of Maryland Astronomy Seminar, College Park, MD (March 2008).
Talk: Results from the GammeV Axion-like Particle Search, Johns Hopkins University Physics Department Seminar, Baltimore, MD (March 2008).
Talk: Results from the GammeV Axion-like Particle Search, University of Maryland Physics Department Seminar, College Park, MD (March 2008).
Talk: Extrasolar Planet Detection via Transit Timing Variations, Johns Hopkins University Center for Astrophysical Sciences Seminar, Baltimore, MD (March 2008).
Talk: Results from the GammeV Axion-like Particle Search, Harvard University Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology Seminar, Boston, MA (February 2008).
Poster: Results from the GammeV Axion-like Particle Search, 211th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Austin, TX (January 2008).
Talk: Constraining the Angular Distribution of Satellite Galaxies about Disk-like Host Galaxies, SDSS Collaboration Meeting, Batavia, IL (November 2007).
Poster: Planet Formation Models Meet Transit Timing Observations, Contribution to the Extreme Solar Systems Poster Session, Fira, Santorini, Greece (June 2007).
Talk: The GammeV Particle Search Experiment, The 3rd Joint ILIAS-CERN-DESY Axion-WIMPs training-workshop, University of Patras, Patras, Greece (June 2007).
Talk: Detecting Terrestrial Planets in Transiting Planetary Systems, Northwestern University Astrophysics Seminar, Evanston, IL (May 2007).
Talk: Fundamental Gravitation Physics with a Torsion Pendulum, Princeton University Physics Seminar, Princeton, NJ (March 2007).
Talk: Detecting Terrestrial Planets in Transiting Planetary Systems, Princeton University Wunch Talk, Princeton, NJ (March 2007).
Poster: Constraining the Angular Distribution of Satellite Galaxies Surrounding Disk-like Host Galaxies, 209th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA (January 2007).
Talk: Developments in Planet Detection using Transit Timing Variations, Transiting Planets Workshop, Heidelberg, Germany (September 2006).
Talk: Development and Application of the Transit Timing Planet Detection Technique, 207th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Washington D.C., (January 2006).
Poster: Detecting New Planets in Transiting Systems, Conference on Planet Formation and Detection, Aspen, Colorado (February 2005).
Talk: Finding Terrestrial Planets in Transiting Systems, Weber State University Physics Department Colloquium, Ogden, Utah (November 2004).
Talk: A Search For Inverse-Square Law Violation, 19th Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah (March 2003).
Talk: The Oscillating Neutrino: Some Possible Answers, American Physical Society, Four Corners Section Fall Meeting, Tucson, Arizona (October 1999).

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