Welcome to the LPL Newsletter!

Welcome to the LPL Newsletter!

Welcome to the latest edition of the semesterly LPL Newsletter. 

The last two months have been trying times for the entire world because of the coronavirus, and it has been no different at LPL. We have closed down all three of our buildings, except for essential research, but have managed to keep teaching, conducting business, and writing proposals and papers, but all remotely and online. We have all become very familiar with the Zoom meeting technology. But moving to remote operation has not been the most difficult thing that we’ve dealt with. Professor Adam Showman, whose expertise was in fields as diverse as the atmospheres of extrasolar planets and the interiors of the moons of Jupiter, passed away suddenly in March. However, we have had good news, too, with students graduating, members of the LPL family winning awards, and an LPL-led mission, the Io Volcano Observer, being selected as one of the finalists for the next round of NASA’s Discovery missions.

Please read through and see what has been happening at LPL, and please stay safe and healthy.

Timothy D. Swindle, Ph.D.
Department Head and Laboratory Director