Mandy Walker-LaFollette

Amanda Walker-LaFollette received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona in Astronomy and Physics, with a minor in Planetary Science. She is a former president University of Arizona Astronomy Club, and worked as a student operator for the Steward Observatory Raymond E. White Jr. Reflector (21 inch telescope).

She was a UA/NASA Spacegrant intern advisor with Dr. Yancy Shirley doing Radio Astronomy research on the early-stage star formation in the Perseus and Serpens molecular clouds. She was also involved in the University of Arizona Astronomy Club  Exoplanet Project researching transiting hot Jupiters TrES-3b and TrES-4b, and presented some of this research at the American Astronomical Society 2012 winter meeting in Austin, Texas. During the summer of 2012, she participated in an REU at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, doing research on star formation at the Galactic center using 44GHz Methanol Masers

Besides astronomy, she enjoys sports like soccer, frisbee, biking, and hiking. She also enjoys playing, teaching, and performing marimba and mbira, musical instruments from Zimbabwe.