Spring

Congratulations to the 2025 LPL recipients of seed grants from the Arizona Astrobiology Center! 

• Eleanor Cornish, Undergraduate Student (Astrobiology minor)
• Kayla Smith, Graduate Student (Planetary Sciences/LPL)
• Dr. Pierre Haenecour, Assistant Professor (LPL) 

The AABC Seed Grant program is an opportunity to foster creative, ambitious, and interdisciplinary scholarship and engagement in the expansive field of astrobiology. This initiative is uniquely inclusive, extending beyond the traditional confines of biological and space sciences. Researchers from the social sciences, arts, science education, and other diverse fields are invited to contribute their perspectives and expertise. The Center aims to nurture innovative, interdisciplinary research endeavors that deepen our understanding of life's origins, evolution, distribution, and future in the universe. This seed grant is a call to thinkers and explorers across all disciplines.

Image

By NASA Communications

How would humanity respond if we discovered an asteroid headed for Earth? 

NASA’s Planetary Defenders is a gripping documentary that delves into the high-stakes world of asteroid detection and planetary defense. Journey alongside a dedicated team of astronomers and scientists working tirelessly to track and monitor near-Earth asteroids, aiming to protect our planet from potential impacts. This documentary captures the intricate and collaborative efforts of these unsung heroes, blending cutting-edge science with personal stories to reveal the human spirit behind this critical global endeavor. Witness the drama, the challenges and the triumphs of those on the front lines of planetary defense.

Planetary Defenders focuses on the LPL Catalina Sky Survey and Spacewatch programs, both part of NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office which has a mission to find, track, and better understand asteroids and comets that could pose an impact hazard to Earth.

Image

Spacewatch researcher and LPL alumna Dr. Cassandra Lejoly is one of the many familiar LPL faces that appear in the documentary. During an interview in the film, Dr. Lejoly noted, "I really like that I am protecting the planet. And yes, I'm not the one that's with a cape pushing the asteroid away, that's not what I do. In some ways, my little contribution might not help just myself, but someone in the future, and I think it's very important to do that." 

Planetary Defenders can be streamed on NASA+ and YouTube and is available on NASA+ from Amazon Prime.

Image

Image

Madison is a third-year Ph.D. student in Geosciences, completing a graduate minor in Planetary Sciences. She is advised by Associate Professor Christopher Hamilton. Madison is interested in the active eruptions in Fagradalsfjall, Iceland, and how these eruptions can be used for hazard mitigation and planetary analogs.

Madison recently won four awards from the Dept. of Geosciences:

• Montgomery Associated Best Overall Talk: Observing the effects of complex topography on fissure-fed facies in the 2021-2023 Fagradalsfjall (Iceland) eruption series
• Bert S. Butler Scholarship
• Spencer R. Titley Graduate Scholarship
• John and Nancy Sumner Scholarship which Madison will use to travel to Italy to participate in a workshop focused on observing active volcanism at Mt. Etna and Stromboli and then to Geneva, Switzerland, to present her work at the IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior) General Assembly.

Image

Nathan Hadland has been named an ARCS Scholar for the 2025-2026 academic year. The ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding students who are U.S. citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering, math, technology, and medical research. Scholars receive a cash stipend, full tuition, and a travel grant.

Nathan’s research focuses on microbial life in volcanic environments as an analog for life on Mars. He is a fifth-year graduate student advised by Associate Professor Solange Duhamel (MCB) and Associate Professor Christopher Hamilton.

The Parker Solar Probe team was honored with the 2024 Robert J. Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association. This annual award recognizes the most exceptional achievement in aeronautics and astronautics in America with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles in the previous year. Professor Joe Giacalone and Associate Professor Kris Klein are both co-investigators on this mission.

Image

Dr. Giacalone's core research interests include understanding the origin, acceleration, and propagation of cosmic rays, and other charged-particle species in the magnetic fields of space, and general topics in space plasma physics, and astrophysics.

Dr. Klein's research focuses on studying fundamental plasma phenomena that governs the dynamics of systems within our heliosphere as well as more distant astrophysical bodies.

LPL Research Scientist Dr. Mihailo Martinovic is an Affiliate with the Parker Solar Probe mission.

Image

Regents Professor George Rieke has been named a University of Arizona Galileo Circle Fellow.

Dr. Rieke holds a B.A. in Physics from Oberlin College, and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University. In 1970, he joined the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) as a postdoctoral researcher, marking the beginning of a distinguished career at the University of Arizona. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Rieke has held several key roles in LPL, the Department of Planetary Sciences, the Department of Astronomy, and the Steward Observatory. In 2004, he was named Regents Professor for his exceptional abilities and achievement of national and international distinction. 

Professor Rieke is the Science Team Lead for the Mid-Infrared Instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope. He previously led the development of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for SIRTF instrument for the Spitzer Space Telescope. His current science is focused on the capabilities of these instruments. 

A prolific scholar, Dr. Rieke has co-authored more than 580 peer-reviewed publications which have received more than 58,000 citations, making him one of the most highly cited faculty members at the University of Arizona. Throughout his career, Dr. Rieke has mentored 29 Ph.D. students and supervised more than 30 postdoctoral fellows. In 2023, he was awarded the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest honor NASA bestows on non-government employees. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Galileo Circle Fellows are academic scholars who demonstrate a deep understanding over a broad range of science, a willingness to think in a truly interdisciplinary way, and an ability to inspire colleagues and students alike.

Image

Associate Professor Kristopher Klein has been named a University Distinguished Scholar.

Dr. Klein's research focuses on studying fundamental plasma phenomena that governs the dynamics of systems within our heliosphere as well as more distant astrophysical bodies. He has particular interest in identifying heating and energization mechanisms in turbulent plasmas, such as the Sun's extended atmosphere known as the solar wind, as well as evaluating the effects of the departure from local thermodynamic equilibrium on nearly collisionless plasmas which are ubiquitous in space environments. As part of this work, Prof. Klein is a co-developer of the Arbitrary Linear Plasma Solver (ALPS) numerical dispersion solver, an open source code used for quantifying the behavior of such non-equilibrium systems.

These systems are studied with a combination of analytic theory and numerical simulation, including large-scale nonlinear turbulence codes such as AstroGK, HVM, and gkeyll. These theoretical predictions are compared to in situ observations from spacecraft including NASA's Wind, MMS and Parker Solar Probe mission, as well as the upcoming HelioSwarm mission, which will fly nine spacecraft between the Earth and Moon to characterize the transport and dissipation of turbulent energy in space plasmas. By comparing theory with local plasma measurements, we aim to answer a variety of questions about the behavior of plasma in our solar system. Dr. Klein is the Deputy Principal Investigator of the HelioSwarm mission. 

Dr. Klein has advised multiple graduate students, two of whom have successfully defended their Ph.D.s at LPL. He advised a postdoctoral research associate who has since become a research scientist, and has taught four courses at U of A, ranging from introductory 100-level courses through advanced 500-level graduate courses. He has published 118 Articles and has an h-index of 38; his papers have accumulated over 4700 citations. 

Dr. Klein has been the recipient of both NASA’s Early Career Investigator Program Award and the American Physical Society’s Landau and Spitzer award for Outstanding Contributions in Plasma Physics. In 2024, Dr. Klein was awarded the Harvey Prize from the American Astronomical Society, in recognition of significant contributions in solar physics research made by an early career scientist. Dr. Klein was awarded for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of space plasma turbulence.

University of Arizona Distinguished Scholar Awards are granted to recently tenured and mid-career faculty who are making transformative contributions to their disciplines and to the university’s purpose, mission and values.

Image

Dr. Steve Kortenkamp has been promoted to (full) Professor of Practice. Steve's research  focuses on science education, with an emphasis on developing and exploring techniques, including development of 3D tactile resources, for teaching astronomy to students who are blind. He is also interested in planet formation and orbital dynamics of asteroids, dust particles, planetesimals. Steve has authored children’s science books for struggling readers in grades K-8. Dr. Kortenkamp teaches Planetary Sciences General Education classes, leads the Teaching Teams program and has been actively engaged with revising the General Education curriculum at the University of Arizona.

Image

Congratulations to Associate Professor Tyler Robinson, promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.

Dr. Robinson uses sophisticated radiative transfer and climate tools to study the atmospheres of Solar System worlds, exoplanets, and brown dwarfs. He also develops instrument models for exoplanet direct imaging. Tyler combines these areas of expertise in his work on the Habitable Exoplanet Observatory (HabEx) Science and Technology Definition Team, and in his contributions to the LUVOIR, WFIRST/Rendezvous, and Origins Space Telescope mission concept studies.