About the Authors
- Page ID
- 159994
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Rachel Mastrapa, PhD
Rachel (she,her) has been teaching astronomy at De Anza College since 2019. Before that, she taught classes about stellar astronomy, astrobiology, and the Solar System at West Valley College. She also was a research scientist working at NASA Ames and SETI Institute, where she performed experiments simulating ice formation in the outer Solar System. She supports the adoption of OER by serving as the astronomy discipline lead for ASCCC OERI. Rachel double-majored in astronomy and geology as an undergraduate at University of Southern California and earned her PhD in Planetary Science at University of Arizona. She enjoys spending time with her two children, playing video games, and reading speculative fiction.
Caitlin Kepple
Caitlin (they/she pronouns) is an instructor and Department Chair of Astronomy at De Anza College. While in this role, Caitlin has been passionate about mentorship and building community across campus through star parties, a student-run astronomy club, events in the Planetarium, and beyond. They earned a bachelor's degree in physics at Portland State University Honors College and their Masters at San Francisco State University. In their free time, Caitlin enjoys singing in a local LGBTQ+ choir, volunteering, camping under dark skies, and has recently been learning astrophotography.