Dr. Charlotte Christensen is an Associate Professor in the Grinnell College Physics Department. Her research focuses on the evolution of galaxies over the history of the Universe using high-resolution computer simulations. She and her team of undergraduate research students have recently been using these simulations to understand what happens when low-mass satellite galaxies encounter a Milky Way-like galaxy. In addition to her astronomy scholarship, Prof. Christensen is passionate about incorporating programming instruction into the physics curriculum. As such, she is leading an effort to create computational exercises that teach programming skills while reinforcing physics concepts.