Fall

Dr. Robert McMillan, Associate Research Scientist and Principal Investigator for the SPACEWATCH® program at LPL, retired on June 30, 2019. Bob began his career at LPL in 1979 as a Research Associate and became an Associate Research Scientist in 1995. Although he has “retired,” Bob is still managing SPACEWATCH® and scanning the skies from Kitt Peak. The SPACEWATCH® team had the pleasure this summer of hosting a celebration to congratulate Bob on his long career and retirement, and to wish him clear skies on his upcoming observing runs.

by Christopher Hamilton

For the Fall 2019 semester (October 17–21), the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) graduate student field trip class (PTYS 594A) ventured to the Zuni–Bandera Volcanic Field in New Mexico. The volcanic field is part of the Jemez Lineament, which extends from central Arizona to northeastern New Mexico. The Jemez Lineament includes approximately 100 volcanoes, which erupted during the past 16 Ma. This semester’s field trip primarily focused on lava tubes within the Hoya de Cibola lava flow-field, lava stratigraphy and inflation features within McCarty's lava flow-field, and Bandera Crater.

During the first day of the field trip, the group met with members of the National Park Service and travelled with Ranger Nicholas (“Nick”) Poister to the Haltun Cave. This provided students with a unique opportunity to explore an exceptional lava tube system within the El Malpais National Monument. On the second and third days, the class examined 20 m (65’) thick lava flow units within the McCarty's lava flow-field. This approximately 3000-year-old lava flow-field was emplaced over older Hoya de Cibola lava units as well as Holocene alluvial sediments. McCarty's lava flow units include outstanding examples of inflation features, which formed as the flows were supplied by lava through internal pathways and gradually swelled like a balloon. Similar structures are identified on Mars and provide valuable information about eruption timescales. Additionally, using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements, the class examined McCarty's lava units, estimating their thickness and identifying buried contacts with older materials (i.e., lava and sedimentary units) as analogs for imaging subsurface interfaces within volcanic terrains on Mars using the shallow radar (SHARAD) instrument. During the final day of the field trip, they visited Bandera Crater and an “ice cave” formed where meteoric water infiltrates into a cold lava tube to form perennial ice deposits.

This semester’s field trip involved the increased usage of high-tech (e.g., GPR and GPS) and low-tech (e.g., notebooks, measuring tape, compass, and hand lens) tools to develop detailed measurements and descriptions, with a focus on lava tube and other lava flow structures as analogs for volcanic terrains on the Moon and Mars, as well as elsewhere in the Solar System. Next semester, the field trip will explore a different region of the Southwest, with a trip to the Mojave Desert.

Dr. Failth Vilas (1984) has been named Editor of Planetary Science Journal, a new open-access online journal published by the Amerian Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS). Dr. Vilas is  a Senior Scientist with the Planetary Science Institute. In 2018, she was awarded the Masursky Award from DPS for meritorious service to planetary science. 

Dr. Devon Burr (UArizona Geosciences, 2003, Baker) is now Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, Northern Arizona University. Dr Burr’s primary interest are the landforms that result from fluid flow. Fluid flow includes flow by water that formed ancient rivers deposits on Mars, as well as flow in current rivers of liquid nitrogen on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. Dr Burr also studies the deposits formed by the flow of air, or wind, on Mars and Titan. In addition, Dr. Burr studies lava flows on Mars and the tectonic landforms on icy satellites of the outer Solar System.

Dr. Joshua Emery (2002) has joined the faculty of Northern Arizona University as Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences. Emery applies the techniques of astronomical reflection and emission spectroscopy and spectrophotometry of primitive and icy bodies in the near- (0.8 to 5.0 microns) and mid-infrared (5 to 50 microns) to investigate the formation and evolution of the Solar System and the distribution of organic material. The Jupiter Trojan asteroids have been a strong focus of his research, and he also regularly observes Kuiper Belt objects, icy satellites, and other asteroid groups to understand the state of their surfaces as related to these topics. Along with telescopic observations, he contributes to Solar System exploration as a science team member on the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, the Lucy Trojan asteroid flyby mission, and the NEO Surveyor Mission infrared telescope mission.

Dr. Ingrid Daubar (2014) is now Assistant Professor of Research at Brown University. This cross-country move from California (JPL) to Rhode Island is only one of the changes in Ingrid's life this past year—the other being the birth of beautiful baby Arthur. Congratulations, Ingrid!

LPL alumna Sarah Hörst (2011) has been awarded the 2020 Early Career Award from the Laboratory Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society. 

The LAD Early Career Award is given to scientists who have made important contributions to laboratory astrophysics within ten years of receiving their Ph.D. Dr. Hörst was recognized for her work in advancing our understanding of photochemical haze formation in planetary atmospheres within our solar system and beyond. Dr. Hörst is currently Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

by Allison McGraw

The 2019 Art of Planetary Science exhibit, held November 15-17 in the Kuiper Space Sciences building, hosted six new experiences and showcased over 200 works of space-themed art created by over 100 artists. The exhibit broke previous attendance records, welcoming 700 visitors over three days. The exhibit was organized to feature two main art categories—Data Art and Fine Art—creating a showcase of diverse work from artists within LPL as well as the national and international community of scientists and space artists. The 2019 exhibit included the event's first special highlight section called "Arizona Asteroid Art," which featured art inspired by the Psyche mission (Arizona State University) and OSIRIS-REx (University of Arizona). 

On opening night, visitors had the opportunity to talk with artists about their work and to rock out under the Moon Tree with music provided by local band Galactic Cactus. The Physics Factory bus was on scene to quiz the audience on their knowledge of women scientists. The University of Arizona undergraduate Astronomy Club hosted telescope viewing on the mall. As a special opening-night highlight, LPL Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Ali Bramson and Associate Staff Scientist Dr. Michael Sori hosted “Super Mario Explores the Solar System,” which showcased their series of Super Mario levels designed to evoke the surfaces and aqueous environments on various planets and moons in the solar system. The public was invited to play these levels on the big screen in Kuiper room 308; the activity was a big hit with small kids and big kids alike.

Featured on the second day of the exhibit was local space artist and aerospace engineer Michelle Rouch, who gave a presentation in the Flandrau Eos Planetarium Theater on the topic of technology as a tool rather than a pacifier. The event weekend concluded with a screening of the documentary Chesley Bonestell: A Brush With the Future at the Flandrau Eos Planetarium Theater. The film was introduced by LPL alumnus and space artist Dr. William Hartmann. Dr. Hartmann considered Bonestell to be one of his inspirations and eventually had the opportunity to meet him.

This year's organizers wish to thank all who contributed to making this year's Art of Planetary Science a great success. We hope to see you next year for The Art of Planetary Science 2020: Planetary Science & Science Fiction.

LPL academic advisor Amy Brenton received funding from a University Professional Advising Council (UPAC) travel grant and a College of Science Staff Advisory Council (CoSSAC) professional development grant to attend the annual National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) conference held October 20-23 in Louisville, Kentucky. Amy reports that conference highlights included the keynote address by Dr. Tyrone Howard, titled “Why Equity Matters," as well as conference sessions focused on student support on a variety of issues including mental health, advocacy, and communication for both graduate and undergraduate students. Besides networking and meeting advisors from across the country, Amy also was able to participate in regional sessions that will continue meeting and working after the conference and will help her to better support our students' advising needs.

In July, Amy was named an outstanding advisor by the UArizona Advising Resource Center (ARC). She was recognized for her commitment to advising and professional growth, including her participation in campus advising seminars and advising learning communities on campus.

Zarah Brown (left), Cassandra Lejoly (middle), and Shane Stone (right) at Sahuarita Middle School in the spring of 2019.

Beginning in 2018, the Planetary Sciences graduate students have been developing a partnership with Sahuarita Middle School in order to introduce planetary science topics to middle school math students. The goal of this partnership is to teach students that mathematics is important and applicable to many types of science and to communicate to young students the importance of studying advanced mathematics in high school. The graduate students have worked with approximately 300 students through repeat visits to ensure maximum information retention. This year, the graduate students will present four different activities at Sahuarita Middle School, including a Spacecraft to Mars building game and a scale of the Solar System project (in development). 

The fall 2019 section of core course PTYS 554 (Planetary Surfaces), led by Professor Shane Byrne, traveled to the Flagstaff (Arizona) region to study cinder cones and lava tubes. Highlights of the field trip included Montezuma's Well, Rattlesnake Canyon, and Meteor Crater on the way to exploring SP crater and Lava Tube Cave.

The field trip class takes a selfie at SP crater (a cinder cone).