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 The meeting took place at 7 PM at the  Robinson Nature Center .

Abstract: Producing optimized and accurate transmission spectra from telescope data is a manual and labor-intensive process. Using artificial-intelligence-based processing, we automate and optimize the data reduction and model-fitting required for processing light curves and spectroscopic data from exoplanet transits with the Eureka! pipeline for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations.

Using AI-based processing of HST transit observations, we present a standardized, homogeneous survey of exoplanet atmospheres. Spanning a range of exoplanet-types from hot Jupiters to sub-Neptunes, this AI-enabled science provides one of the most comprehensive surveys of exoplanet atmospheres to date. Using this tool to perform large-scale, data-driven comparative exoplanetology, we have identified long-sought after trends in cloud-formation for both the Jovian and Neptune/sub-Neptune regimes of exoplanets.

Bio: Reza is an exoplanet astronomer at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He received his PhD in Electromagnetics from Auburn University in 2016 and has served various science and engineering roles since starting at APL in 2016. His work focuses on exoplanet atmospheres & magnetic fields using ground and space-based telescopes (from optical to radio), technosignatures, and extending NASA’s Deep Space Network capability. He has served various roles on NASA’s New Horizons, Dragonfly and Interstellar Probe missions.