Lucy Steffes

Astronomy and Astrophysics Ph.D. Student at the University of Arizona

Hi! I'm Lucy Steffes! I am currently a first-year graduate student at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory. I am also an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, awarded in 2024. I am currently working with Professor Yancy Shirley, studying the chemistry and kinematics of star formation in nearby giant molecular clouds.

I completed my B.S. at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in May, 2024, double-majoring in Astronomy-Physics (with honors) and Physics. I also completed certificates in Mathematics, German, and History. I conducted my undergraduate research with Professor Snezana Stanimirovic examining the diffuse Interstellar Medium, particularly looking for molecules in the Magellanic Stream and studying neutral atomic hydrogen (H I) in the local group galaxies (LMC and SMC) using data from GASKAP.

I also work with Dr. Jesse Bublitz at the Green Bank Observatory, where I was an REU Student in 2021 and 2022. There, I study the chemical composition and evolution of the Helix Nebula. During the Summer of 2023, I was an intern at the Berkeley SETI Research Center, with Dr. Chenoa Tremblay, Dr. Mark Ruzindana, and Dr. Savin Shynu-Varghese. Among other accomplishments, I was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship in 2022.

In my free time, I love hiking, photography, sewing, and cooking.

Stanimirovic Group at UW-Madison

Standing: Nickolas Pingel, Jakob Mills, Jared McCoy, Trey Wenger

Seated: Me, Madisen Johnson, Aishani Das, Hongxing Chen, Snezana Stanimirovic

Not Pictured: Dan Rybarczyk, Brian Babler, Amit Mittal

2022 Green Bank Observatory REU Students

Left to right: Hugo Negrel, Alex Seidman, Nathan Sparks, Amara Green, Corvus Koithan, Me, Catalina Zamora, Mary Rickel, Elizabeth Lowe