2012 Fall Graduate Student News

Three PTYS graduate students are recipients of new (Fall 2012) NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship awards:

Juan Lora: "Modeling Titan's Atmospheric Dynamics and their Interaction with Methane" (Russell) Jamie Molaro: "Thermal Stress Weathering in the Inner Solar System" (Byrne) Christa Van Laerhoven: "Secular Dynamics of Multi-Planet Systems: Implications for

Lissa Ong, fifth-year PTYS graduate student studying impact craters on the Moon, Mars, and Mercury, is the recipient of a 2012 UA/NASA Graduate Space Grant Fellowship. Lissa will develop lesson plans for 1st-3rd grade students, with the objective of making planetary science interactive and relevant, using a hands-on approach for

PTYS/LPL graduate student Peng Sun and wife Eva became the proud parents of beautiful baby Emily on September 23, 2012. Emily weighed in at 8.5 pounds and measured 21 inches at birth. Congratulations, Peng and Eva!

Congratulations also to Tony Nottke, graduate student in Chemistry and Planetary Sciences, and wife

PTYS graduate student Rob Zellem is the recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Spring 2012. Rob earned the award for his work as a GTA for Professor Peter Smith's PTYS 214 (Astrobiology) course. The student nomination forms cited Rob for well prepared lectures, for setting up telescope

This year, LPL was fortunate to be able to fund summer research travel for three graduate students thanks to support from the Shandel Education Plus Fund in Planetary Sciences and LPL. This fund was established by a generous donor and friend of LPL for the purpose of supporting travel expenses