The Curson Education Plus Fund in Planetary Sciences and LPL was established by Shirley Curson, a generous donor and friend of LPL, for the purpose of supporting travel expenses outside the state of Arizona during summer break. The award is open to students in the Department of Planetary Sciences and Lunar and Planetary Laboratory who propose to fund study, museum visits, special exhibits, seminars, instruction, competitions, research and other endeavors that are beyond those provided by the normal campus environment and are not part of the student’s regular curriculum during the recipient’s school year.

To donate to the Curson Travel fund, visit the University of Arizona Foundation.

Advisor: Jack Holt
Mars Polar Conference - Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

Studying the formation and evolution of glaciers on Mars and their potential as water resources for future human landing missions.

Advisor: Erik Asphaug
Psyche Collaboration Meetings - University of Bern.

Seeking to understand how collisions have shaped the surface of asteroid (16) Psyche.

Melissa Kontogiannis 
Advisor: Dante Lauretta
Summer School for Sample Returns - Observatoire de Haute-Provence.

Analyzing samples of asteroid Bennu, recently returned by the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Previous Curson Award Recipients