Dr. Natalie Hinkel
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nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Dr. Natalie Hinkel
@nataliehinkel.bsky.social
1K followers 220 following 110 posts
Planetary astrophysicist. Stars+planets are formed together, so I look at elements in stars and how they connect to planet composition. Architect of the Hypatia Catalog (hypatiacatalog.com, @hypatiacatalog.bsky.social). Prof at LSU, she/her.
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nataliehinkel.bsky.social
All of this is wrapped around an amazing demonstration from the Spectra of Exoplanet-forming Disks, or SpExoDisks, database:
spexodisks.com
which is an amazing resource for to better understand protoplanetary disk compositions.

4/5
Screenshot of the SpExoDisks home page which shows that the database has 507 stars, 1164 spectra, from 8 instruments.
November 21, 2024 at 7:11 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
To make things even better, we've included some of the BEST FLOW CHARTS YOU'VE EVER SEEN....which should really help explain a lot of the nuances when developing a database. 😉 Plus, Table 1 lists all of the technology/software used by the team.

3/5
Figure 3 from the paper: An organizational chart of the SpExoDisks data science pipeline (see the key in the lower-left corner). The pipeline starts at the top-left and processes clockwise, ending at center-left side of the diagram. The large dotted boxes denote pipeline process clusters that are triggered for each observed spectrum, where data read-in starts from icons that contribute data in the accumulation and context phase of the pipeline (top half to lower right). The second phase is public data export (bottom dotted box), which uploads data to a MySQL database software for efficient storage and retrieval. A locally-built, test website connected to the public server ("Build Test API and Website" process box) shows the newly staged data for inspection. The inspection environment is then configured to be deployed to the public website and uploaded to GitHub, completing the staging to update the SpExoDisks database portal.
November 21, 2024 at 7:11 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Ya know what's great about stellar abundances in the Hypatia Catalog...a fresh beta-release!
new.hypatiacatalog.com

Like the adorable Moo Deng, sink your teeth into updated services, improved features, faster views, and a brand-spanking new API! Info at:
hypatiacatalog.com/hypatia/defa...

🪐👩🏻‍🔬🧪🛰️
Image of the baby hippo Moo Deng (with the words "Hypatia Users" above her) taking a big ole chomp on her handler's leg (with the words "Our Sweet New API"). Aww, da baby.
October 10, 2024 at 4:31 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Please join me in wishing Tatertot a very Happy 19th Birthday! She loves chicken, only 2 people in the world, and screaming heinously when her pet-quota is short. She is not as graceful as she used to be, but can still be surprisingly spry. She is my loud babycat. 😻
A brown tabby cat with greenish-yellow eyes and a white muzzle, sits regally on a bed with striped sheets. Her expression shows that she gives no fucks...because she is too old to care. And she will let you know.
August 15, 2024 at 7:29 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
I heard we were talking about food pets?!

We have Tatertot (brown tabby in the front, 18.5yrs) who has a reddish tinge in her tail like she was dipped in ketchup. Also Lasagna (orange fluff in the back, 4yrs) who is basically an inverse Garfield.

Love food pets!
Picture of two cats on a gray couch, next to a yellow pillow. There is a brown cat in the foreground who, for some reason, decided to nest in a coiled up belt. In the background, sitting on the arm of the couch looking both dapper and confused, is a chubby orange cat. Behind them is an armoire and some big windows.
April 27, 2024 at 9:14 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Is your brain ready for a LOT of interdisciplinary exoplanet knowledge! You know it is! 🪐👩🏻‍🔬🧪🛰️

🧵In Jan 2021, Keith Putirka, Siyi Xu, and I joined forces to put together 15 chapters (and a workshop!**) written by experts in their field, where the core of each chapter was:
Screenshot of an email excerpt that Keith sent to Natalie and Siyi, outlining what he thought the focus of the RiMG chapters should be. These sentiments ended up being the crux of all of the chapters. The text says: ' "What do I want and need to learn from other disciplines?" and "What do other disciplines need to know about mine"? '
April 26, 2024 at 5:56 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
He's asleep!

I guess it was just too much astronomy for one little orange cat. Sleep well, sweet prince, and let the other orange cats use the single brain cell for a while.
At the end of the recursion, we realize that he fell asleep next to the monitor. This picture is him with his eyes closed, right next to my finder window and presentation on the monitor. He looks very cute and fuzzy.
November 10, 2023 at 9:50 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Six Lasagnas...but something seems....off.

His head seems to be drooping. His eyes....are they closed?
Same as previous picture, expect this time Lasagna is looking at a picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at my "What is the Sun's Structure?" slide. Except this time is head is drooping backwards.
November 10, 2023 at 9:50 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
😺 Five. Lasagna. Recursion. 😺
Same as previous picture, expect this time Lasagna is looking at a picture of himself looking at picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at my "What is the Sun's Structure?" slide.
November 10, 2023 at 9:49 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
😺😺😺😺!!!!
Same as previous picture, expect this time Lasagna is looking at picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at my "What is the Sun's Structure?" slide.
November 10, 2023 at 9:49 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Three Lasagnas!!!
Same as previous picture, expect this time Lasagna is looking at a picture of himself looking at a picture of himself looking at my "What is the Sun's Structure?" slide.
November 10, 2023 at 9:48 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Two Lasagnas!!
Same as previous picture, expect this time Lasagna is looking at a picture of himself looking at my "What is the Sun's Structure?" slide.
November 10, 2023 at 9:47 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
I'm not going to say that this is 100% the ✨most adorable✨ (and educational) recursion photo series you've ever seen....

but I'm also not NOT going to say that. 🥹 You have been warned.

Presenting: Lasagnas and the Sun.
Lasagna the Orange Cat, on the left side of the screen, next to my laptop. He is looking at my secondary monitor where I'm editing slides for class, the current slide reads "What is the Sun's Structure", with a picture of the orange Sun. Maybe orange likes orange? Or maybe my too smart cat was watching the mouse cursor.
November 10, 2023 at 9:47 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Who is excited for a major update? Everyone!!

Introducing the newest changes and upgrades that you've come to know and expect from the ✨Hypatia Catalog✨

Thanks so much to all of our amazing contributors and users. We couldn't do it without you! 💜👩🏻‍🔬🛰️🧪

hypatiacatalog.com
Latest update announcement from the Hypatia Catalog (hypatiacatalog.com). The database now has: 11,160 stars 1477 planet hosts 2174 multistars 102 elements 294 datasets ~400,000 obs Updates include: • ~1200 new stars, +60 new datasets, 20 new elements for FGKM-stars • Fully up-to-date with the latest, greatest abundances and star/planet properties! • Improved pipeline for updates with planned rolling (instead of batch) updates in the future, so the database will always be current with published data. • Fixed bugs that impacted the absolute abundances and edge-case data. • All website data available via API. • Improvements to the database engine and speed is on the horizon!
October 24, 2023 at 5:04 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
4 years ago I started weight lifting as a new way for me to exercise and an outlet for my thoughts/feelings. Today was the first workout in the new place and even though being a new professor is 100% KICKING my ass (only 4 weeks into the semester), I'm feeling WAY better about things. 🔭🧪👩‍🔬
Natalie is standing in the middle of the picture, wearing a shirt with the collar cut off, looking very sweaty but open-mouth-smiling. She has her hair pushed back with a bandana. Behind her is a small room, a window with a red curtain in front of it, and her exercise equipment on a mat on the floor.
September 17, 2023 at 11:12 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Guess who is starting her first day as an assistant professor at LSU?

Hint: It's me.
Natalie is framed in the center of the photo with the LSU Tiger stadium in the background. She is wearing a white blouse with a blue flower pattern. She also has a very silly, open mouthed expression...as if to say "Guess what?!"
August 15, 2023 at 6:07 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Is Lasagna wearing a little fur hat made of his own fur that I brushed only today because that's how fluffy he is? Yes, he is.

Happy Sunday from a dapper Lasagna.
Lasagna the cat (an orange 3 year old cat named in honor of Garfield) is on the floor under a small table, next to a window. He looks very handsome because he is a handsome boy. Today his handsomeness is accented by a small, light orange bower style hat, that fits just between his ears. The hat is rather fuzzy, because it's made of Lasagna's own fur.
August 13, 2023 at 2:13 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Oh oh! I did something similar once:
I recreated a scene from the Original Series of Star Trek, complete with believable "rocks" and "alien sky."

Poor Red Shirt Gummy Bears.
There are five gummy bears (green, white, orange, and two red) standing upright. The red gummy bear all the way on the right is deformed with a large blob coming off it's left side -- the same side touching the other red gummy bear, like they are attached. Large grains of salt (mimicking boulders on another planet) are all around the gummy bears and a brown background (like an alien sky). The caption says, "Scotty, there's been a transporter malfunction." Poor Red Shirt Gummy Bears.
August 9, 2023 at 8:58 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
I wanna know the results of the Pioneers proposals!! 4 weeks ago there was a rumor we'd hear "any day now." No word.

So do we get $20M to build and fly an IR spectrograph on a balloon around Antarctica to get M-dwarf abundances (the SAKHMET mission)? Or are we reapplying in March? 🔭🧪
Classic Anakin-Padme meme where Anakin is labeled as "NASA" in the first panel. Padme asks, "Pioneers today, right?" Anakin doesn't respond. In the last panel, Padme asks again, "Right?"
August 4, 2023 at 4:38 PM
nataliehinkel.bsky.social
Okay, so new social media platform. New job: switching from SwRI to LSU. New city and new house. New chapter all around.

And with these changes -- some more than others -- the ability to talk more freely about my life, my family (Caleb, Lasagna, and Tatertot), and my thoughts. I'm excited. 😃
Two people -- Caleb and Natalie -- leaning into each other and smiling at the camera. They are in a restaurant or bar, with people in the background. Caleb is wearing a black and white striped button down shirt. Natalie is wearing a black shirt and a shiny necklace. Two cats sitting in a pile of clean, warm laundry on the bed. The younger orange cat, who is more in the middle of the laundry pile, is lost deep in thought, probably trying to figure out why these clothes are suddenly so warm. The much older brown tabby cat, who is perched on top, is surveying her surroundings like the queen she is.
July 3, 2023 at 8:11 PM