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
Juneau Icefield Research Program
Juneau, Alaska

Leading academic activities and mentoring undergraduate students as part of the JIRP teaching faculty

Advisor: Walter Harris
SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2026
Copenhagen, Denmark

Presenting research on astronomical instrumentation

Previous Curson Award Recipients