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Faculty

Colette Salyk Assistant Professor of Astronomy

Dr. Salyk teaches courses in planetary science, observational astronomy, and introductory physics. She studies the formation of planets using both ground- and space-based telescopes. In particular, she studies the relationship between protoplanetary disk properties (including chemical composition) and planetary diversity.

  • BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MS, PhD, California Institute of Technology.
  • At Vassar since 2015

Contact

Research and Academic Interests

  • Planetary Science
  • Observational Astronomy

Departments and Programs

Courses

  • ASTR 101. Solar System Astronomy
  • ASTR 330. Extrasolar planets and planet formation

In the Media

Hubble Sees a Cosmic Flapping 'Bat Shadow'

Assistant Professor of Astronomy Colette Salyk was quoted in a Hubblesite announcement about her team using NASA’s Hubble Telescope to view nascent stars resembling flapping “bat wings.”

Vassar Astronomer Colette Salyk Helps Hubble Team Analyze ‘Bat Wing’

Vassar College Assistant Professor of Astronomy Colette Salyk recently joined a team of scientists at the Space Telescope Science Institute to analyze a flapping, “bat-like shadow” of a fledgling star’s planet-forming disk that had been captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Vassar College assistant prof has her eye on the sky

Colette Salyk, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, and her work gathering evidence of Earth-sized planets in our galaxy, were the subjects of a Daily Freeman story.

Out of Dust, Nascent Planets

Vassar Assistant Professor Colette Salyk and 25 other astronomers have published a paper announcing they have gathered new evidence about how planets are forming in other parts of the galaxy. The discovery sheds light on how our own solar system was formed.

Vassar helps celebrate Maria Mitchell’s 200th

Two members of the science faculty and 11 science majors joined hundreds of others in the field to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Vassar’s first astronomy professor at the Maria Mitchell Association’s 2018 Women in Science Symposium Oct. 5 and 6 in Wellesley MA.

Exoplanets, Neandertals and other cool stuff

For nine weeks this summer, Vassar students and faculty engaged in independent research projects under the auspices of the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute.

The August 21 Eclipse

On August 21, 2017, North America was the site of an eclipse of the Sun, the first in our hemisphere since 1979. Assistant Professor of Astronomy Colette Salyk answered a few questions about the eclipse and how to prepare for it.

Photos

Download images for non-commercial use, photo credit required.

Photo: Karl Rabe / Vassar College

Education

  • PhD, Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 2009
  • MS, Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 2005
  • BS, Planetary Science, minor in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003

Teaching Interests

Dr. Salyk teaches courses in planetary science, observational astronomy, and introductory physics.

Research Interests

Dr. Salyk studies the formation of planets using both ground- and space-based telescopes. In particular, she studies the relationship between protoplanetary disk properties (including chemical composition) and planetary diversity.

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