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Carson Fuls was named Director of CSS in October 2023. He holds a B.S. in Physics and an M.S. in Natural Applied Sciences (Physics) from Stephen F. Austin State University and is currently completing his first semester as a doctoral student in Planetary Sciences at LPL.
The Catalina Sky Survey is a NASA funded project supported by the Near-Earth Object Observation Program (NEOO) under the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). The CSS mission is to discover and track near-Earth objects (NEOs) in an effort to meet the congressional mandate to catalogue at least 90% of the estimated population of NEOs larger than 140 meters, some of which classify as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) which pose an impact threat to Earth. Longstanding success of the project is attributable to comprehensive sky coverage, continued development and application of innovative software and our NEO detection pipeline, and the inclusion of near real-time human attention to the NEO discovery and follow-up process. CSS has discovered most of the near-Earth asteroids found since 2005.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START AS AN ASTRONOMER?
I knew for as long as I can remember that I wanted to be a scientist, but I didn’t settle on astronomy for many years. When I was 17, I was at Stephen F. Austin State University and I got a job in the physics department to help set up telescopes for the freshman level astronomy classes night labs at the university’s fantastic observatory. In fact, access to the observatory’s 41” telescope was one of the main reasons I chose to attend SFA. I spent many nights out there working on the telescopes and trying to gather data in new ways. I’ve worked in other areas of science and engineering, but I’ve always come back to astronomy. To me, it is a more universally appreciated and accessible science than many others. The ability to share what I’m doing with others and have them instantly grasp what I’m working on has always appealed to me.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START WITH CSS?
I started at LPL and CSS in 2015 as a full-time observer. I was actually the second choice in the applicant pool, but fortunately, the team was able to add two positions. And the top choice applicant and I are now married, so everything worked out great in the end!
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING AN ASTRONOMER?
As I’ve said, I love sharing with others what I do, but I also love being an observational astronomer. I love heading up to the top of a remote mountain for days at a time. Winter nights are cold and long, but peaceful, and you have the most time to make discoveries. Summer nights are short, but you have time during the day to appreciate the mountain. I’ve spent many afternoons before work hiking and rock climbing in the Catalinas. It’s hard to imagine another profession where that is your daily routine.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO START GRADUATE SCHOOL AND HOW WILL THE PROGRAM CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR WORK?
I started graduate school because I was ready and up for the challenge. I also thought that it would help push my career forward. I wanted to jump into the academic side of planetary science by being involved in pushing the science forward, in contrast to what I have done with CSS, which has been focused on operations and engineering.
CSS has always been guided by the latest science. We base much of our observational strategy on the latest asteroid population models and are always considering the latest work on image processing and linking observations of asteroids. I see my role as taking in a larger swath of the current research and making connections with others in the field who may be working in similar areas and bringing that back to the survey.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIME FOR HOBBIES?
In my ample free time, I volunteer for the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (SARA). We are responsible for search and rescue activities in Pima county and have helped those in need all over the state. Much like CSS, SARA is an incredibly dedicated and professional group that I am proud to be a part of.
HOW DO YOU FIND A WORK-LIFE BALANCE?
It is all-asteroids-all-the-time at my house as my wife, Rose Garcia, also works at LPL on the OSIRIS-APEX mission heading to the asteroid Apophis. I do have to plan my work out to make time for everything. But I try to spend as much time as possible with my daughter, River. She is 5 years old, and we have the best time playing Legos, dolls, or just sitting and watching cartoons together. If I can read to her a bedtime story, then I count that as a productive day.
HOW CAN AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS SUPPORT CSS?
For those with their own telescopes and proficient with observing asteroids, I would recommend checking out our NEOfixer site (neofixer.arizona.edu) to see which near-Earth asteroids are the most in need of observation.
Read more about Carson Fuls and the Daily Minor Planet:
On December 4, Senior Research Specialist Dolores Hill was surprised with a Star Award from CoSSAC, the College of Science Staff Advisory Committee. Star Awards recognize staff members for outstanding achievement and contributions to teamwork on the job.
Dolores is a star at LPL, where she serves as laboratory safety manager and expert sample analysis technician, but she really shines in her role as outreach coordinator for LPL and OSIRIS-REx. Dolores is well known and always in-demand for her hands-on lessons about meteorites (and meteor-wrongs) and she is a respected colleague and liaison to amateur and professional meteoriticists alike. Dolores has been with LPL since 1981.
The Arizona Astrobiology Center (AABC) was launched in October with LPL Regents Professor Dante Lauretta as Director. AABC brings together more than 40 faculty members from 4 colleges and 13 disciplines to conduct cutting-edge research, train diverse future leaders and encourage collaborative dialogue with communities about the existence, origin and evolution of life in the universe. Part of what the center will explore – in addition to life's origins and existence on other worlds – is what such discoveries might mean to different cultures and traditions around the world. The center also seeks to share these grand ideas through public engagement efforts.
The OSIRIS-REx team was honored with the 2024 Robert H. Goddard Award from the National Space Club and Foundation. The Goddard Memorial Trophy is the most prestigious award given by the National Space Club to honor a breakthrough discovery or achievement in rocketry and aeronautics within the calendar year. The trophy will be presented at the Goddard Memorial Dinner in March.
OSIRIS-REx also won the 2023 SpaceNews Icon Award for Civil Space Achievement of the Year.
OSIRIS-REx successfully returned its asteroid sample payload of approximately 250 grams of material from asteroid Bennu on September 24.
November 3, 2023
Saturn's Upper Atmosphere in the Ultraviolet: Temperature and Compositional Trends from Cassini UVIS with Implications for Energy Balance and Dynamics
Advisor: Associate Professor Tommi Koskinen
New position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, LPL
November 9, 2023
Solar Energetic Particle Acceleration and Transport at the Curved and Evolving Shock Driven by Coronal Mass Ejections
Advisor: Professor Joe Giacalone
New position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Michigan
Kelsey E. Hanson is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Anthropology, specializing in the archaeology of the U.S. Southwest. She is particularly interested in how specialized knowledge is cultivated and circulated in communities and how this is encoded in material culture. In contemporary Pueblo communities, paint recipes are often maintained and passed down by ritual sodalities, making paint an ideal medium to understand sociopolitical organization through time. Drawing from anthropological archaeology, Indigenous philosophy, and conservation science, Hanson’s dissertation research problematizes paint technology to understand the circulation of specialized knowledge in the rise and fall of the Chaco World of northern New Mexico (A.D. 850–1300).
To characterize paint recipes, Hanson is currently analyzing particulate samples collected from archaeological pigments, paint production tools, and painted media using a combination of polarized light, microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Thus far, these analyses are revealing new mineral colorants, specialized processing techniques, and previously unrecognized traditions of paint production. By treating paint technology as a material proxy for specialized knowledge, Hanson is using the circulation of paint technology to understand changing power relations through time, offering a new perspective on the sociopolitical history of the Chaco World. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, P.E.O. International, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's Lister Fellowship, the Getty Foundation, the Society for American Archaeology, and many others.
Anton A. Samoylov is a third-year year Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Adam D. Printz in the Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. Anton’s research interests are motivated by a vision for a sustainable future, sparked by undergraduate research in sustainable plastics. His research currently focuses on engineering the mechanical stability of perovskite for applications in thin film photovoltaics through nano-compositing.
Advanced electron microscopy is crucial in guiding the development of composite perovskite thin films in Anton's experiments. "The Hitachi Electron Microscopy Scholarship is of great help when it comes to providing financial support to help me focus on my research as I prepare to submit my results for publication within the upcoming months. I hope my work will also help highlight the role Hitachi and the Kuiper Imaging Facility play in advancing quality research at the University of Arizona for a diverse set of departments."
Searra is beginning her second year as a graduate student at LPL. She studies exoplanets to determine potential suitability for life, drawing from the fields of astrobiology and exoplanets. Searra develops and uses models to understand exoplanet atmospheres, which helps researchers learn not only more about the behavior of these planets, but also about other planets similar to Earth. Searra hopes that expanding research in the fields of astrobiology and exoplanets promotes public interest in science and inspires young people, especially girls, to pursue research in space science. Searra's faculty advisor is Associate Professor Ty Robinson.
