Focus on Alumni

NASA Selects First Chief Scientist for the Planetary Data Ecosystem

Dec. 16, 2021

LPL alumnus Moses Milazzo (2005) has been selected by NASA as First Chief Scientist for the Planetary Data Ecosystem.

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Gravity Assist: How to Move an Asteroid, with Nancy Chabot

Nov. 19, 2021

LPL alumna Nancy Chabot (1999) is Coordination Lead for the DART Mission.

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Planetary scientist Nancy Chabot has been to Antarctica five times to look for meteorites.

NASA’s DART Mission Could Help Cancel an Asteroid Apocalypse

Nov. 18, 2021

Our planet is vulnerable to thousands of “city-killer” space rocks. If—when—one is found on a collision course with Earth, will we be ready to deflect it?  LPL alum Andy Rivkin is DART Co-Investigation Team Lead.

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Illustration of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and its target, Dimorphos,

Elizabeth Turtle Named Alumna of the Year 2020-2021

Oct. 13, 2021

For her outstanding contributions to planetary science, the Arizona Alumni Association has named LPL alumna Dr. Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle the 2020-2021 Alumna of the Year for the College of Science.

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LPL alumna Dr. Elizabeth Turtle named 2020-2021 Alumna of the Year

Zibi Turtle: Titan of Exploration

Oct. 1, 2021

She’ll lead the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. She’ll also lead the next generation of women in planetary science.

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Zibi Turtle discusses exciting details of the APL-led Dragonfly mission

Jonathan Fortney Garners Simons Investigator in Astrophysics Award

June 29, 2021

The $500,000 award from the Simons Foundation will support Fortney’s research on planetary atmospheres.

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Still Taking Giant Leaps From Lunar Small Steps: Purdue Scientists Analyze Moon Dust Collected By Apollo 17 Astronauts

June 28, 2021

Michelle Thompson is one of the new generation of scientists working on the Apollo moon missions.

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Eve Berger Discusses NASA Asteroid Sample Return Mission

June 23, 2021

Eve Berger, Senior Research Scientist at NASA Johnson Space Center, discusses her research and the importance of sample analysis as a panelist for “Ask an Astrobiologist: Everything You Wanted to Know about the OSIRIS-REx Mission to Bennu & Back.”

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The Vatican's Space Observatory Wants To See Stars And Faith Align

June 6, 2021

At a time of growing diffidence toward some new scientific discoveries, the one and only Vatican institution that does scientific research, the Vatican Observatory, recently launched a campaign to promote dialogue between faith and science. LPL alumnus, Bro. Guy J. Consolmango, is the Director.

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Ice Frozen Under Mars’ Surface Offers Major Resource to Aid Future Settlements

March 1, 2021

Dr. Ali Bramson examines factors involving future habitats on Mars. Bramson is co-author on a Nature Astronomy (Feb. 2021) paper about subsurface ice on the red planet.

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