Jesse Barber Email & Phone Number

Greenbelt, Maryland, United States

In Late 2020, I accepted this position as lab manager of the Field Calibration Laboratory (FCL) within the Biospheric Sciences Laboratory (Code 618) at NASA Godard Space Flight Center. Here I perform optical calibration of various instruments which observe the 350 - 2500nm spectral range, namely spectrometers. The lab also has the capability to service and calibrate select thermal instruments. Recently I published a SPIE proceedings paper characterizing the VNIR portion of a VSWIR spectrometer system slated to become the FCL's new transfer standard.The lab also services the requests of any member of 618, so long as it falls within the scope of the lab, such as assisting in designing, supporting, and performing field work or airborne projects. To this end, I have explored and supported many facets of Code 618. I provided installation, calibration, and flight support to the G-Liht project. I provided field support and training for ground based validation efforts during satellite overpasses. I provided instrument expertise and field study support for the NASA - UC Boulder conference: HYR-Sense, where NASA reached out a hand to Indigenous American colleges for space land data training. And I provided technical calibration and development support for the majority of the development cycle for the low cost DIY spectrometer project: STELLA.I am currently working on increasing the capabilities of the FCL and reducing its total uncertainty product from 3-5% to provide a more accurate and repeatable product. This and work done by others is done to better support the pre-flight needs of the Landsat-next mission, among others.

Buffalo/Niagara, New York Area

Rebuilding and implementing a monochromator and Cryo-cooled CCD into infrared laser polarimetry systems. Took polarization sensitive linear dichroism measurements to determine polarizer-like and waveplate-like properties of novel metamaterials. Helped design key alterations to existing cryostat equipment, and troubleshooted issues in the data taking process.

Buffalo/Niagara, New York Area

Teach physics to undergraduate students. Ran weekly labs beginning with a clear and concise instructional presentation, and concluding with small group hands-on learning. Also hosted weekly sessions where students could get more hands on instruction and guidance to enhance their learning.

Buffalo/Niagara, New York Area

Used the programming tools Prody, Pymol and Python to model protein crystal structure. These were used to predict the structure and compare the analysis to crystals measured using THz Spectroscopy. Weekly meetings were held to discuss goals, setbacks, and progress made.

Blacksburg, Va

Spearheaded laboratory development and infrastructure for Dr Satoru Emori. Provided logistical support to help Emori set up his laboratory and navigate the university system.I used Autodesk inventor to design a custom Spin Torque Ferromagnetic Resonance probe station capable of 360 degree magnetic field rotation. Met with Dr Emori at the start of the project to determine key features, and explored solutions for these features. I procured parts from industry suppliers and collaborated with the Virginia Tech physics machine shop to improve designs and fabricate parts. Assembled and calibrated the final probe assembly.Using this probe I characterized spin dynamics in certain magnetic thin film heterostructures. Dr Emori then went on to use this piece of equipment, along with others to publish the attached paper.

Blacksburg, Va

Part of the NuLat collaboration to research short baseline neutrino oscillations with a Raghavan optical lattice detector. Was present in revisions and design of prototype detector geometries and fabricated basic prototype assemblies of both liquid and solid scintillating lattices to take time resolved decay measurements of neutrino-Radon collision byproducts. Worked in a class 8 cleanroom environment to assemble a prototype optical lattice. After sealing and transporting to the lab, assisted with assembling linkages and fixing custom circuit boards. Overcame electrical and software setbacks relating to the primary prototype.

Blacksburg, Va

Used C++, Python, and ROOT to model the interactions in the Belle II Particle Collider at the KEK Experiment in Japan under the instruction of Dr. Leo Piilonen. Used the particle physics C++ tool ROOT to then perform data analysis on data generated on the compute cluster to gain an understanding of how the data from the Belle II behaves.Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team from the physics department, school of education, and Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) to create the Belle II experiment and visualize its data as a fully interact-able virtual reality teaching tool. I acted as an intermediary between the physics department and ICAT to communicate the desires of the principal investigator and the team. I acted as a physics consultant for, and assistant to, Zachary Duer, the lead coder for the project. Used Unity, C#, and Autodesk MAYA to fully realize the Belle II Collider and make the simulation faithfully show what happens at the subatomic level in less than a nanosecond. Monthly team meetings were held to discuss progress, setbacks, and feasibility of ideas to be implemented.

Blacksburg, Va

Assisted Dr Giti Khodaparast and Dr Brendan Magill with 400 and 800 nm time resolved pump probe spectroscopy using an ultrafast laser to probe the fundamental characteristics of multiferroic materials. I completely rebuilt the LabView code that controlled the experimental set up. This was done to add the option for multiple data runs in a row, allowing for much more uptime without operator oversight, and to well document the previously undocumented code for those who come after me.

Master Of Science - Ms, Physics, 3.5

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Physics, 3.4

Activities and Societies: College of Science Deans Leadership Committee, Blacksburg Swing Dance