Fall

Emileigh Shoemaker is a 2022 recipient of an Amelia Earhart Fellowship. Emileigh is a fifth-year Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Lynn Carter. Her research focuses on investigating the subsurface of volcanic environments on Mars and Earth using orbital and ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems. Eruptive products like lava flows from effusive volcanic activity or ash and pumice from explosive activity provide a glimpse into the evolution of the interior of a planet. On Mars, volcanic activity is primarily effusive—resulting in shield-like volcanic edifices and extensive lava flows similar to those seen in Hawaii. Explosive activity is less common; however, there is evidence on the surface that these types of eruptions have taken place in the past.

Emileigh uses the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument currently orbiting Mars to investigate the subsurface and the stratigraphy of the largest volcanic province on the planet known as Tharsis. This region has been volcanically active for most of Mars’ history which makes it an excellent site to study the evolution of the planet over time. SHARAD has assisted Emileigh in making measurements of the thickness of lava flows and ash deposits there.

Emileigh has taken part in several NASA field expeditions to the Icelandic Highlands, where she mapped ice buried by ash and pumice from two eruptions of the Askja Volcano using GPR. This area was used to test operational methods to map subsurface ice using these handheld radar systems for future astronauts who will need to access this precious resource during missions on other terrestrial bodies like Mars and the Moon. During these expeditions, Emileigh is able speak to the general public and hopes these interactions will encourage other students to participate in planetary field geology and geophysics in the future. Read more about Emileigh's research with the NASA GIFT Team in Iceland in the Fall 2021 LPL Newsletter.

LPL welcomed 13 new graduate students in Fall 2022.

David Cantillo is the recipient of the 2022 Carson Fellowship Award, which provides one academic year of support, including salary, tuition, and a supply stipend. David is a first-year graduate student at LPL.  

David earned a B.S. from the University of Arizona in Spring 2022 with a major in Geosciences and minors in Math and Planetary Sciences. As an undergraduate, David began working with LPL professor Vishnu Reddy, who he had met while working as a high school intern at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Their collaboration led to David's first first-author paper that better constrained the surface regolith of asteroid 16 Psyche.

In recognition of his undergraduate work, David received the Spring 2022 Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award for both the UArizona Department of Geosciences and the entire College of Science, as well as the Outstanding Senior Award for the UArizona Honors College (honors thesis: Spectral Characterization of the Near-Earth Environment with the RAPTORS II Telescope.

David joined the LPL graduate program in fall 2022 with research interests in asteroids and space situational awareness. His current research involves using laboratory spectroscopy to better interpret the surfaces of near-Earth asteroids as well as taking direct observations of near-Earth asteroids with the NASA IRTF in Hawaii. For summer 2023, David plans on traveling to Australia to help construct a new observatory for remote observations of artificial satellites.

When he's not doing science, David is focused on music. He is the singer and lead songwriter for the alternative Tucson rock band, Daytrails. David appreciates the intersection of science and art and has been a regularly supporter and contributor to The Art of Planetary Science events sponsored by LPL.

David was featured as a PTYS undergraduate minor in the Fall 2021 newsletter.

You can support PTYS graduate students by donating to the Carson Graduate Fellowship endowment.