Eric Galayda

After getting my master's degree at Miami, I ended up at the National Solar Observatory on Kitt Peak, outside of Tucson, AZ.  I am the sole full-time staffer on site, which includes the McMath-Pierce Solar (McM-P) telescope and the SOLIS (Synoptic Optical Longterm Investigations of the Sun) telescope.  The McM-P is the world's largest and only infrared solar telescope.  My job covers a wide variety of tasks, ranging from maintaining the facilities, to optical design/engineering, to assisting visiting scientists with instrumentation and data acquisition.  For more information on our facilities, check:  http://nsokp.nso.edu/  I live in Tucson with my wife of three years.

"The Physics Department at Miami was of a size that allowed me to interact on a level with faculty that I likely would not have found at larger institutions. Working with Dr. Alexander on the observatory dome project likely was the direct root for me getting my current position with the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak as well."

- Eric Galayda, MS Physics 2000