Cole Mason

PhD Student in Physics

Academic Advisor

Michelle Creech-Eakman

Cole Mason is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Physics at New Mexico Tech working with Dr. Michelle Creech-Eakman. His research focuses on astronomical instrumentation, with his dissertation centered on commissioning an infrared fringe tracker for the Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer (MROI) called the Infrared Coherencing Nearest Neighbor (ICoNN) Fringe Tracker. The MROI is a long baseline optical/infrared interferometer under construction in the Magdalena Mountains.

Cole Mason

ICoNN will enable observations of fainter targets by correcting for atmospherically induced wavefront errors. This is done by interfering infrared light from multiple unit telescopes, deducing the appropriate path length correction from the fringes, then issuing the correction to the MROI Delay Line system. This entire process will be completed in 5 milliseconds and will run repeatedly during observing campaigns. Cole joined the MROI as a Graduate Research Assistant in 2022 and has assisted the engineering team on multiple other projects, supporting the development of this next generation observatory.

Cole recently completed a summer internship in Ann Arbor, Michigan at KLA as an opto-mechanical engineering intern. He learned a lot about the semiconductor industry and the tools that are used in the manufacturing of computer chips. This internship gave Cole a chance to work on imaging systems at the other end of the spectrum than astronomy: microscopes. Cole will return to KLA next summer for another internship.

Originally from Texas, Cole earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Texas A&M University, where he developed a passion for optics and astronomy. Outside of research, Cole enjoys using his telescope to do astrophotography, caring for his collection of plants, and woodworking. He also shares his home with his girlfriend and three cats: Peaches, Raccoon, and Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier.

Cole Installing a mirror in the Beam Relay System of the MROI.

Important Dates

December 1st

Fall 2025 - Completion Paperwork

To graduate in Fall 2025, please ensure the following paperwork is submitted by December 1st, 2025:

Must have submitted your intent to graduate by midterm of the Summer semester or before

Thesis Submission: Submit the completed report of the advisory committee, the iThenticate report from your academic advisor, and the ProQuest submission of the final thesis/dissertation to the Center for Graduate Studies.

Independent Study: Submit one final copy of the accepted independent study paper to your advisor and advisory committee.

For more information, please refer to the Completion Guideline on the CGS website.

Student degrees are not complete until final materials have been approved by the Center for Graduate Studies and the student receives final acceptance via email from the ProQuest system. Students are encouraged to submit their thesis/dissertation drafts earlier to ensure that it will be accepted by the Registrar's deadline.

For more information please visit our Completion Webpage.

Announcements

Time/Space to work on your thesis/dissertation

The Office of Graduate Studies will weekly announce on our website times when graduate students can come and work in our conference room on their thesis/dissertation. During this time you can focus on writing and you can ask questions as they come up whether about formatting, completion, copyright, plagiarism, etc. This is in addition to the services offered by the Writing & Communication Lab (WCL). If you are looking for writing support the WCL would be a much better resource. Please see below.

Graduate Degree Path and Completion Guide Workshop Presentation

The Office of Graduate Studies held a workshop for all graduate students and faculty on October 8th, 2025. The presentation from that workshop is available at https://www.nmt.edu/gradstudies/CGS_Grad_Completion_Workshop_20251008.pdf

Writing & Communication Lab (WCL)

This is a tutoring resource committed to helping students become better writers and communicators through tailored and individual consultations. Tutors are experienced in STEM writing and offer consultations both in person and online, to undergraduate and graduate students. These resources are also available to our Distance Students as well so please take advantage.

Find the service's descriptions by visiting the following link

https://www.nmt.edu/academics/class/center.php

Scholarships and Other Opportunities

There are some Endowed scholarship opportunities open to graduate students, which are listed here on the Endowed Scholarship website. Native American graduate students should contact the Financial Aid Office for further information on additional scholarship opportunities (financial_aid@nmt.edu).

NSF NCAR Advanced Study Program (ASP) Graduate Visitor Program (GVP) Fellowship [click here for more info]

The NSF NCAR Advanced Study Program (ASP) Graduate Visitor Program (GVP) Fellowship offers an excellent opportunity for graduate students to spend time at NSF NCAR working on their thesis, dissertation, or final project equivalent, with guidance from NSF NCAR scientists and engineers. The GVP also provides a chance to develop research collaborations at NSF NCAR and to participate in professional development workshops and seminars. Applications close - November 9th, 2025

The National GEM Consortium’s graduate engineering and science fellowship programs [click here for more info]

GEM offers MS and Ph.D. level students an outstanding opportunity and access to dozens of the top Engineering and Science firms and Universities in the nation. The GEM Fellowship was designed to focus on promoting opportunities for individuals to enter industry at the graduate level in areas such as research and development, product development, and other high level technical careers. GEM also offers exposure to a number of opportunities in academia. 2025-2026 Fellowship cycle will be accepted until Friday, November 14th

NCUR 2026 is Now Accepting Abstract Submissions! [click here for more info]

To present at NCUR 2026, you must submit an abstract by the abstract deadline.

Hertz Fellowship [Click here for more info]

The Hertz Fellowship empowers the nation’s most promising doctoral students in applied science, engineering and mathematics. Hertz Fellows receive up to five years of funding—offering flexibility from the traditional constraints of graduate training and the independence needed to innovate—and lifelong professional support.