Hubble image of the center of NGC 6397... can you find the white dwarfs? (hint)

Welcome to Adrienne Cool's web page

I am an observational astronomer and a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at San Francisco State University. I joined the SF State faculty in 1996 following a postdoctoral position at UC Berkeley. Prior to that I did a PhD in astronomy at Harvard, an MS in electrical engineering at Columbia, and a BS in physics at Yale. Here's a copy of my CV.

I have taught many different astronomy courses and for some time also co-taught a course to help future K-12 teachers learn to teach science and gain experience doing it. I enjoy teaching astronomy in informal settings as well, including on the sidewalk, at local schools, in talks for amateur astronomy groups, and at star parties in the Sierra.

My research focuses on globular clusters which contain some of the oldest stars in the Milky Way. Using satellite observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory my students and I study the binary star content of globular clusters to understand their role in cluster dynamical evolution.

I am the director of the SF State's Observatory and Planetarium and organize the observatory's public open nights, which are run by students. I am also the faculty member responsible for SF State's participation in the 30-inch telescope at Leuschner Observatory, which SF State students have access to 100+ nights per year.

I currently serve as academic advisor for the Master's program in Astronomy & Astrophysics. I am also the advisor for students pursuing a B.S. in Physics: Concentration in Physics for Teaching and for students pursuing a minor in physics or a minor in astronomy. For many years I have been collaborating with faculty and staff at CSME, working on projects aimed at improving science education for future teachers and illuminating the pathway to K-12 teaching for physics and astronomy students.