Professor Joe Giacalone has been named Assistant Department Head for the Department of Planetary Sciences. As Assistant Head, he oversees academics and student affairs, including admissions and curriculum, for the Department of Planetary Sciences. An expert in solar and heliospheric physics, Joe has been with LPL since starting as a
2012 Fall Department News
The Department of Planetary Sciences/Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona has available a tenured or tenure-track faculty position. Candidates in all areas of planetary science are encouraged to apply. Current faculty and research staff are engaged in many facets of planetary science, including planetary surfaces, interiors, atmospheres
Fan Guo defended his dissertation titled "Effects of Turbulent Magnetic Fields on the Transport and Acceleration of Energetic Charged Particles: Numerical Simulations with Applications to Heliospheric Physics.” Joe Giacalone was Fan's dissertation advisor. Fan will continue as a Research Associate with Joe Giacalone until graduation in December. He will then
LPL welcomed three new graduate students for the 2012/2013 academic year:
Ali Bramson: graduate of the University of Wisconsin , B.S. in Physics and Astronomy, working with Shane Byrne
Davin Flateau: B.S. in Physics from the University of Cincinnati, working with Daniel Apai
Jess Vriesema: M.S. in
Michael Sussman joined LPL in August 2012, working on simulations of giant planet atmospheric circulation with Professor Adam Showman. Michael earned his Ph.D. in 2011 from New Mexico State University researching the seasonal variation of Uranian winds, as well as quantifying secular changes to Jovian ovals. Michael originally hails from
In August, the grad students organized the 15th annual Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Conference. The first day of the conference featured a panel discussion entitled "Funding in Planetary Science: The present and future of our field". The panel included LPL professors Alfred McEwen and Bill Hubbard, recent LPL graduate Kathryn
LPL partnered with the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) and Flandrau Science Center to help Tucsonans view the June 5 transit of Venus. Hundreds of Tucsonans donned their transit glasses to enjoy the viewing party. Viewing and lectures took place from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. There were telescopes on the mall
Four long-time staff members transition into retirement
Bradford Castalia, a Principal Applications Systems Analyst/Developer with PIRL/HiRISE retired from LPL at the end of September 2012. Brad started at LPL in 1984.
Linda Hickcox, Senior Business Manager for HiRISE, retired on September 28, and promptly returned to a part-time version of
On July 28, LPL hosted Summer Science Saturday, a day-long celebration of science in anticipation of the landing of the MSL Curiosity Rover. The event was a great success, with over 700 Tucsonans visiting LPL to learn about Mars, spectroscopy (PTYS graduate student Rob Zellem), and meteorites (LPL Meteorite Guru
On Thursday, September 20, LPLers were treated to an extraordinary site: the Space Shuttle Endeavour, piggy-backed on a 747 aircraft, soaring over the Kuiper building and the UA mall as it made its way from Houston to a permament retirement home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Spectators