Joshua presenting his research on ionosphere-thermosphere processes and simulated satellite observations

Research

"Do not be content with your research until it has surprised you." - Pope Francis

Currently, I am working under Dr. Dolon Bhattacharyya and Dr. Kevin France at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) on a near-ultraviolet project with archival NASA CUTE observations of solar system targets.

I am also an alumni of the Boulder Solar Alliance NSF REU, where I worked under Dr. Katelynn Greer in an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) to evaluate simulated satellite observations of Joule Heating in VLEO.

Previous work includes Protoplanetary Disk spectroscopy in infrared under Dr. Andrea Banzatti where I had 12 night observations with the NASA IRTF iSHELL telescope, and even Environmental Science Soil surveys of carbon respiration in varied agricultural methods under Dr. Jenny Cooke.

3D visualization of the NASA CUTE smallsat in orbit above the Earth.

NASA CUTE

I am working as an Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA) at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) investigating the role of background atmospheric processes in atmospheric escape on Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Venus, using archival NASA CUTE (Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment) observations from its extended mission timeline.

Space Weather

As part of the Boulder Solar Alliance NSF REU at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), I performed an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) to evaluate varied satellite constellation's ability to resolve Joule heating at Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) altitudes.

I used NASA Community Coordinated Modeling Center's (CCMC) CTIPe as the baseline model, and their Kamodo software to simulate satellite flythroughs through model data.

Joshua Sendgikoski presenting at the BSA REU Symposium
The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility's (IRTF) iSHELL telescope

Protoplanetary Disks

Utilizing the Interactive Spectral-Line Analysis tool (iSLAT) I investigated the chemical evolution of cold water in protoplanetary disks surrounding T-Tauri stars using archival observations from the Herschel Space Observatory in comparison to modern James Webb Space Telescope observations.

Through this research I have also conducted 12 nights of remote observation with the NASA IRTF iSHELL ground-based telescope.

Environmental Science

Over the spring of 2026 for course credit I performed a soil analysis survey of multiple farms. We measured carbon respiration as proxy to sequestration, indicative of biodiversity, to compare and contrast multiple farming methods ("traditional" versus "sustainable" as outlined by the USDA) to determine the most environmentally efficient and sensitive methods of agriculture.

Looking out over Austin Community College's Elgin Campus sustainable farm