Sabrina L. Savage, Ph.D. Research Astrophysicist Solar and Solar Terrestrial Studies Last Updated:   08/15/2012

"He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it." ***

Originally from Mobile, AL (ROLL TIDE!), I am the oldest of four (*Sabrina*, Catrina, Regina, and Vince -- 3 belles and a beau) and yes, I do eat grits. I attended John S. Shaw high school where I graduated Valedictorian with honors (big smile!). My senior year was a bit busier than most, though, because I was married and had a daughter, Sierra, who is really my "mini-me" (except for the blonde hair and blue eyes). That was certainly not the route that I had planned to take nor is it one that I would recommend, but boy am I lucky to be this little girl's mom (even though she really isn't that little anymore...). Sierra is my book-reader and her siblings are lucky to have her for their big sister as she is quite the little mama.

Upon graduating in 1998 from high school and earning a full-ride scholarship, I went on to attend the University of South Alabama. While working as a full-time physics student, we had daughter #2, Alydah. Spunky little thing to say the least! There is not a dull day with this little lady and good luck catching her inside in the summer or out of the water at the beach. :) I must say that I really enjoyed my time at USA. Their physics department is superb, and because there is no graduate department, they were able to put a lot into their undergraduate physics majors. I did an undergraduate project with Dr. K. Clark looking into the distribution of cosmic rays with time which gave me the opportunity to learn how to write in a programming language (albeit FORTRAN), and I got hands-on instrumentation experience with photoelectric tubes.

Sierra

Alydah

Telescope viewing nights were a huge bonus for me. I was also given the opportunity to be a Supplemental Instruction leader under Dr. P. Helminger and work as a physics tutor which well-prepared me to teach as a graduate student. Those four years as an undergrad were busy busy busy, but I did manage to graduate with my B.S. in physics (math minor) in 2002 as Summa Cum Laude. Phew!

Since childhood, 3rd grade to be precise, I have wanted to be an astronomer/astrophycist; however, I was encouraged (and rightfully so!) to pursue a physics degree rather than an astronomy degree because it allows for a wider range of opportunities. Fortunately, I was able to participate in the University of Wyoming's Summer Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program (SURAP) during the summer of 2001 where I was given the opportunity to work at two observatories, RBO and WIRO. I had such a great experience with the area (Vedauwoo being one of my most beloved places on Earth!) and loved the direct work in astrophysics so much that I decided to go back as a graduate student.

While there I worked with Dr. Ron Canterna and Dr. Jay Norris (GSFC) in the very exciting world of Gamma Ray Bursts. For more information, see my (way outdated!) GRB Research page. I did find some time to play in the Rockies of Colorado and Wyoming (Pics) during my 3+ years at UW which helped me deal with the stress of a divorce and being separated for long periods of time from my daughters. I also spent the summer of 2003 at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) working under Dr. Norris on data reduction/analysis for the WIRO-Goddard Infrared camera and relativistic hydrodynamic codes used to model GRBs. I am eternally grateful for that opportunity. I learned so much under an incredibly supportive and educated advisor. While my experiences at UW are invaluable, it turned out to not be the most suitable working environment for me. It is unfortunate that I was not able to stay and complete the work that I had started and rather enjoyed doing there, but I opted to receive my M.S. in physics with an emphasis in astronomy from the University of Wyoming in December 2004 and move on.

Circumstances being what they may, I decided to change schools in pursuit of a Ph.D. which is how I ended up at Montana State University -- a career move I have not regretted. Bozeman, MT is one of the most beautiful cities on the map as it is nestled in a valley completely surrounded by mountain ranges only 80 miles from Yellowstone and only a few hours from the Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks (pics). I am not a downhill skier, which is pretty taboo here next to the Big Sky and Bridger ski resorts, but the summer hiking and the winter cross-country skiing are spectacular! From my house I can be back-country hiking in less than 30 minutes. If only summer were longer than 3 months! The Physics department has also far exceeded my expectations. I have willfully been sucked into MSU's internationally renowned Solar Physics research group under a new advisor, Dr. David McKenzie.

Quinn

Milo

While in Montana, my 'new' husband (wedding pics), Tyson, and I welcomed 2 new additions to our brood, Quinn and Milo. (Yep, that makes 3! daughters for me...oh man...and finally a little man.) Quinn is a big personality in a wee body! She loves Johnny Cash and rock music (especially Muse and the Dandy Warhols) and is a budding little artist. As for Milo ... well, he's basically the best little boy of all time. He has such an uplifting smile with enormous eyes to match. And he's well on his way to being the next Jack Horner. :-)

My thesis research focused on understanding the properties of sunward-flowing voids during long-duration flares on the sun which may be direct evidence of magnetic reconnection occurring in the corona. I also spent some time operating the camera of the X-ray telescope (XRT) aboard the solar satellite Hinode which was an extremely valuable experience. My Solar Research page has more information (although probably in need of an update). My husband, Tyson Littenberg, graduated from the same department in 2009 but with a thesis in cosmology ... well, more like a thesis in math with future applications to physics from what I can tell ;-). He has been working as a post-doc with the University of Maryland/NASA Goddard. Meanwhile, I finally received my doctorate in the Fall of 2010 and worked as a NASA post-doc at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of the DC area, but the work experience that I gained using new instruments was invaluable.

I am now excited to report that I have attained my dream job as a Research Astrophysicist stationed at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL! Here, there are many exciting cutting-edge solar research projects in which to participate while keeping a hand in my favorite established mission as Hinode Deputy Project Scientist.

And apparently, the connection between NASA and me was written in the stars.... sabriNASAvage. :)

*** Most of the quotes on this site are attributed to Douglas Adams. If you haven't read Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I highly recommend doing so for its brilliantly comedic dry wit. Magrathea!