Amanda Stadermann is the recipient of the PTYS Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Fall 2019. Amanda worked with students in Assistant Professor Kristopher Klein's section of PTYS/ASTR 170A1, Planet Earth: Evolution of the Habitable World. In support of the award, Professor Klein wrote, "This was the first class I have taught at the University of Arizona, and Amanda was an excellent GTA to provide support while I learned many of the pedagogical ropes of teaching a large enrollment course. Amanda provided advice on how to effectively keep track of the administrative elements she had learned from her previous GTA experiences. This assistance was invaluable. In addition to executing assigned TA duties like grading, Amanda gave two course lectures (and created the presentation for one of those lectures).

Amanda's objective as a TA is to "encourage science-inclined students to consider planetary science, and encourage science literacy among the students with inclination toward other subjects." To this end, she served as an exemplary ambassador to the students in the class; each of the half-dozen students who regularly attended her weekly office hours received an "A" grade. According to Professor Klein, Amanda "is an unceasing advocate for the students, and her work in my class demonstrates her aptitude for scientific education and outreach." Recipients of the Outstanding GTA Award receive funds of up to $1,000 to support travel to a professional meeting of their choice. Amanda also received the 2020 College of Science Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring award for LPL.

Shane Stone earned the 2020 LPL College of Science Graduate Student Award for his accomplishments throughout an extraordinarily productive and successful graduate career. Shane will complete his degree with at least twelve peer-reviewed publications, including a first-author publication in JGR Planets (doi:10.1029/2018JE005559) and another submitted to Science. Shane is entering his sixth year as a graduate student; his advisor, Professor Roger Yelle, notes that the JGR paper is an example of Shane's consistently comprehensive and rigorous analysis as well as his superb communication skills. Although still a student, Shane has established himself in the community of Mars upper atmospheric researchers.

Congratulations to LPL's 2020 Galileo Circle Scholarship recipients: Saverio Cambioni, Xiaohang Chen, Indujaa Ganesh, Weipeng Ben Lew, Patrick O'Brien, Maria Steinrück, Sarah Sutton, and Joana Voigt. 

Galileo Circle Scholarships are awarded to the University of Arizona's finest science students and represent the tremendous breadth of research interests in the University of Arizona College of Science. Galileo Circle Scholarships are supported through the generous donations of Galileo Circle members. Galileo Circle Scholars receive $1,000 each and the opportunity to introduce themselves and their research to the Galileo Circle patrons.

	Saverio Cambioni (Advisor: Erik Asphaug) My vision is that Artificial Intelligence (AI)—the ability for a computer program to learn and think—could allow for overcoming the limitations that humans bring to data analysis. AI can review large volumes of data and discover specific trends and patterns that would not be apparent to humans. This makes AI a natural tool to look at missing links, such as those connecting to the formation of planetary systems and the origin of life on Earth, or to signals of advanced civilizations elsewhere.
	Xiaohang Chen (Advisor: Joe Giacalone) I study the physics of explosive phenomena such as coronal mass ejections and solar flares, and how they affect Earth. These phenomena convert solar magnetic field energy into kinetic and thermal energy. The charged particles in the solar corona can be accelerated to relativistic particles (solar energetic particle events). SEPs can cause radiation hazards and disrupt communication and transportation systems. My goal is to reveal the origin, acceleration and transport mechanisms of these energetic particles by developing a model of particle acceleration at a non-spherical shock. (Xiaohang's award was announced after publication of the print edition for Spring 2020.)
	Indujaa Ganesh (Advisor: Lynn Carter) My research concerns volcanism on Earth and other planets. I study the physical processes that drive volcanic eruptions and use numerical techniques to model these processes. I also use radar data to complement and constrain my modeling work. I enjoy implementing mathematical models to carry out quantitative geological investigations. I’m a firm proponent of using radar instruments for planetary exploration and I’m keen on expanding my expertise in different radar techniques like ground penetrating radars, imaging synthetic aperture radars, and radar polarimetric imaging.
	Weipeng Ben Lew (Advisor: Daniel Apai) Clouds affect how much energy is being absorbed and reflected in an atmosphere. By regulating the heating and cooling rate of an atmosphere, clouds play a key role in shaping the weather and climate of a planet. Observations of planets beyond the Solar System, which are called exoplanets, suggest that clouds are prevalent in planetary atmospheres. My long-term research goal is to understand the chemical and physical processes in cloud formation, and to answer the question “How do clouds impact the evolution of planetary atmospheres?”
	Patrick O'Brien (Advisor: Shane Byrne) So far in my scientific career I have developed skills and experiences in multiple fields of research on scales ranging from nanometer-sized particles to massive stars the size of Earth. This journey has instilled in me an invaluable perspective on a complex, interconnected Universe and led me to a career in planetary science, a field interdisciplinary by its very nature. My ultimate goal is to work on challenging problems using tools and technologies from many different fields and to connect people to the excitement of space exploration and solar system science.
	Maria Steinrück (Advisor: Adam Showman/Tommi Koskinen) My research focuses on hot Jupiters. Hazes obscure the spectral signatures of gases present in the atmospheres of many hot Jupiters, making it hard to determine what the atmosphere is made of. I investigate if these hazes are formed through photochemical processes. Previous research has used 1D models that cannot fully capture the effects of the strong winds on hot Jupiters. My goal is therefore to adapt the 3D Global Climate Model that my research group uses to include photochemical hazes.
	Sarah Sutton (Advisor: Christopher Hamilton) My dissertation focuses on fissure-fed eruptions on Mars and Earth, analyzing morphology using high resolution topography from optical imaging and laser scanning data. My research connects the evolution of volcanic features on Earth to those on Mars and other planets to further our ability to interpret their morphology and more accurately model the fundamental physical processes that led to their creation.
	Joana Voigt (Advisor: Christopher Hamilton) The surface of a planet is an expression of the interior dynamics of the body. I am interested in establishing fundamental links between both to learn more about the inner working principles and evolution of planets. Linking the volcanic deposits to the controlling mechanisms is the research topic that I am inspired by and thus my Ph.D. is dedicated to better understanding these relationships. It is fundamental to combine terrestrial with planetary volcanism, so I study eruption products of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun lava flow-field in Iceland and the Elysium volcanic province on Mars.

The LPL Andersson Award for Service and Outreach is awarded annually to a PTYS graduate student in recognition for attention to broader impacts and involvement in activities outside of academic responsibilities that benefit the department, university, and the larger community. The award is named for Dr. Leif Andersson, a scientist who worked at LPL in the 1970s.

This year's Leif Andersson Award for Service and Outreach was presented to Allison McGraw. Allison was also the recipient of the 2020 LPL College of Science Service Award.

Allison is a third-year graduate student at LPL. She has been active in public outreach since her days as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, when she worked at Kitt Peak National Observatory as a public program specialist, conducting nightly telescopic observing programs and teaching visitors about Earth’s atmosphere, planets, telescopes and the many astronomical objects in the night sky to the public. As a graduate student, Allison has continued to grow her service portfolio. She was selected to be a Lloyd V. Berkner Space Policy Graduate Intern with the Space Studies Board, The National Academies of Sciences, in Washington, D.C. This experience provided Allison with a unique, policy-informed perspective that she applies as she engages larger communities, and also demonstrates her willingness to communicate science to public audiences.

Allison regularly leads and participates with LPL outreach activities, including outreach to local schools and support for events like Tucson Festival of Books. She is also an OSIRIS-REx Ambassador, communicating the science of the sample return mission to varied audiences. Allison has brought OSIRIS-REx outreach activities, including meteorites and cratering kits, to venues like libraries as well as more traditional events like Spacefest. In 2019, Allison won a UA NASA Space Grant Graduate Fellowship with her proposal for developing a full-dome planetarium show about meteorites. 

Some of Allison’s most impressive and creative efforts and service to outreach are evidenced in her recent role as coordinator for the graduate-student-run art show, The Art of Planetary Science (TAPS). Allison took on the formidable task of event logistics and expanded the program's scope and vision by including family-friendly activities such as hosting telescopes for night time stargazing and the “Physics is Fun” bus on the UA Mall; the event also featured a local rock band beneath the Kuiper “Moon Tree” and digital submissions displayed on the planetarium dome at the Flandrau Planetarium and Science Center, with an introduction by a local space artist. The result was a festival feeling with something for everyone to enjoy.

Allison's long-standing commitment and enthusiasm on behalf of public education and outreach truly represent the spirit and intent of the Andersson Award.

The Curson Travel Award supported my travel to Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Italy, to participate in the 3^rd Advanced School for Exoplanetary Science (ASES3) from 27^th – 31^st of May 2019. This year, the workshop focused on the demographics of planetary systems and was attended by early career exoplanetary scientists from all over the globe. The workshop was structured around a series of lectures by five of the leading researchers in the field: Dr. Scott Gaudi (The Ohio State University), Dr. Andrew Howard (California Institute of Technology), Dr. Alessandro Morbidelli (Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur), Dr. Sean Raymond (Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux) and Dr. Antonino Lanza (Astrophysical Observatory of Catania). Each day, we had 4-6 hours of lectures on the topics of planet formation and dynamical evolution, star-planet interactions as well as observations and statistics from radial velocity and transit surveys (for close-in exoplanets), and microlensing, astrometry and direct imaging surveys (for wide-separation exoplanets).

I was fortunate enough to be one of the handful of school participants that were selected to give a short oral presentation on their research. My presentation, titled Hints for a Turnover at the Snowline in the Giant Planet Distribution, was focused on the first project I worked on at LPL with my advisor, Dr. Ilaria Pascucci, and Dr. Gijs Mulders. During this talk, I discussed our newly published result that shows a pile up in the distribution of giant planets at the snowline and its implications for (exo)planetary formation and migration. It was really nice to see our result gain the same amount of positive attention in the European exoplanetary community as it had in the American community.

The workshop also arranged a few outdoor social events for the participants. We visited the Archaeological Park of Paestum, which is home to three magnificent Doric temples that are thought to be dedicated to the city’s namesake Poseidon, Hera and Ceres. We also went on a boat tour of the Amalfi coast and explored the cobblestone streets and lush gardens of the city of Ravello. On the last day, we hiked the Paths of the Gods, a clifftop trail above the Amalfi coast which began in Agerola and ended in Nocelle, the upper part of Positano. The breathtaking views of the Amalfi Coast and the island of Capri made the two-hour long hike worthwhile.

Attending this workshop was highly beneficial to me as an early career scientist for the reason that unlike large conferences, the ASES3 workshop offered an ideal opportunity for networking and forming collaborations with an international group of students and experts in exoplanetary science which was important in formulating long- and short-term research ideas.

Jada Walters is the recipient of the 2019 Carson Fellowship Award, which provides one academic year of support, including salary, tuition, and a supply stipend. Jada is a first-year graduate student at LPL.  

Jada is an avid reader, and from childhood, the books that she liked best were science fiction novels that allowed her to visit faraway planets and galaxies. It didn’t stop at books—she also looked forward to watching episodes of Star Trek with her parents and playing space adventure games like Star Control II. As she grew up, her interest in space exploration grew as well, expanding to include the branches of science that enable humanity to explore our universe past the confines of our planet. She began to realize that scientific research was the avenue through which she would be able to understand and visit other planets beyond the pages of a book.

Jada attended the Georgia Institute of Technology from 2015 to 2018, graduating with a B.S. in Physics with a concentration in Astrophysics. While an undergraduate, she had the opportunity to research in multiple areas. Her first exposure to research was with Dr. Heidi Newberg at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. As part of a 10-week summer REU program, she conducted research on the local velocity substructure of the Milk Way Galaxy using the Gaia and PPMXL catalogs. Jada was lucky enough to experience the practical scientific process during this time, complete with unexpected discrepancies, multiple dead-ends, and a glimmer of progress towards answering the physics questions motivating the research that made it all worth it. She returned to Georgia Tech certain that she wanted to continue research, but she wasn’t sure in what area. By chance, a class that she never planned to take shifted her research focus entirely.

After being waitlisted for an aerodynamics class, she stumbled upon an introductory space plasma physics course offered by the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences while looking to fill the gap in her schedule. That course, and the professor who taught it (Dr. Carol Paty), steered her in a new direction. She began to research Europa’s plasma environment with Dr. Paty and learned about the spacecraft mission applications of plasma physics research. Her interest in plasma physics continued into solar physics. As part of an REU at Montana State University, Jada worked in Dr. Dana Longcope’s research group. There, she researched magnetic reconnection in the solar corona using SDO data of emerging active regions.

At LPL, Jada is continuing to research in plasma physics, this time applied to the solar wind, with Dr. Kristopher Klein. She hopes to continue on to a career in research that allows her to apply theory and computer models to relevant spacecraft data.

Two PTYS graduate students were awarded Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science Technology (FINESST) awards in 2019:

• Indujaa Ganesh, Plumes and Pyroclasts: Understanding the Dynamics of Explosive Volcanism on Venus (advisor: Lynn Carter)
• Allison McGraw, Observational Campaign for the Gefion Asteroid Family (advisor: Vishnu Reddy). 

Geosciences student Brandon Tober, advised by Professor Jack Holt, also received a FINESST award for A New Regional View of Alaskan Glaciers: Bed Elevation, Ice Thickness, and Flux.

This year's Leif Andersson Award for Service and Outreach was presented to Alessondra Springmann for her many service, outreach, and mentoring activities—some of her many and varied efforts and activites include: moderating internet support forum of over 1,200 women alumni from her alma mater, Wellesley College; communicating and advocating science with outreach visits to schools, local organizations, events, and research institutions; promoting science with her microblogging and commentary via various podcasts and media such as the Weekly Space Hangout YouTube Series. Notable among Alessondra's outreach efforts is her engagement in activities aimed at middle and high school students in the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Alessondra is an advocate for equity and inclusion in professional science, especially for gender inclusion and for accessibility and inclusion for scientists with disabilities; she speaks publicly on the topic of sexual harassment in science. At LPL, Alessondra works with the Department Life Committee and was key to creating the committee web site, which provides collection of resources related to workplace climate, equity and inclusion. She is also an active member of the LPL Women's Group and undertakes other department service, such as serving as graduate alumni chair and creating and administering a grad student Slack channel.

After Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, Alessondra took the initative to facilitate communication from off-island family to those still on the island and cut-off from other means of communication. She continued her efforts to provide aid to the those affected by the storm, particularly the staff of Arecibo Observatory, by organizing a social media campaign to deliver supplies by using an Amazon wishlist; the result was that the Arecibo Radio Telescope mailroom was stacked with Amazon packages (photo below). These supplies came to be known as "SondyAid."

In addition to receiving the Andersson Award, Alessondra was named the LPL winner of the 2019 College of Science Outreach Award.