My name is Alessondra Springmann, though most people call me Sondy.  I’m a writer, planetary astronomer, and a sailor.  I’m currently located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico working at Arecibo Observatory after living in Accra, San Francisco, Tokyo, Boston, Jerusalem, Pasadena, and Socorro.  I received my master’s in Earth & Planetary Science from MIT in June 2011.  I’m somewhat of a First Global.

I spent the summer of 2012 teaching entrepreneurship and mobile application technologies to university students in Ghana, and the summer of 2011 working on supercooled water and anti-icing coats at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Japan.

My master’s thesis topic was on magma ocean solidification and comparing meteorite compositions to that of Earth’s mantle.  When I’m not reading papers on isotopes of neodymium, running models to form Earth’s D” layer, or looking through telescopes at potentially hazardous asteroids, I enjoy running, hiking, sailing, SCUBA diving, canyoneering, and baking crème brûlée.

I took a year off from graduate school: during this time I tutored mathematics and physics to college and high school students, served on the board of directors of a non-profit sailing organization, and wrote for PC World.

In summer 2010 I taught computer science and business skills to Palestinian and Israeli high school students in Jerusalem through an MIT program, Middle East Education through Technology (MEET).  I chronicled some of our adventures in teaching and traveling here.

If you would like to hire me, my résumé and CV are available for your perusal.  You can also view my profile on LinkedIn.

I’d also love to hear from you! You can contact me by emailing sondy@sondy.com and I’ll be glad to respond.