The Planetary Science Institute welcomed eight new scientists within the last year. At the 2024 annual retreat, held Aug. 13-17 at the Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort in Tucson, they shared a bit about their research with their new colleagues.
Jack Conrad is an Associate Research Scientist based in Maryland who joined in April. He shared how he uses geologic mapping and formation modeling to understanding craters, channels and other surface features of planetary bodies.
Ben McKeeby, an Arizona-based Associate Research Scientist who joined in November 2023, presented on how he measured variations in lava surfaces on Mars using surface temperature data from NASA’s THEMIS instrument, short for THermal EMission Imaging System, on Mars Odyssey orbiter.
Amy Steele joined PSI in March and is a Senior Research Associate based in Wisconsin. She shared how she explores the composition of remnant exoplanetary material surrounding polluted white dwarf stars.
Augusto Carballido, a Senior Scientist based in Texas, joined PSI in February and explained how long it would take a melting probe to traverse Europa’s upper ice layer, which likely acts as a lid to the lower layer in contact with the ocean potentially lurking underneath.
Rodrigo Duran, a Florida-based Research Scientist who joined in January, presented on how to find the most prominent ocean-current trajectories.
Marissa Vogt is a Senior Scientist based in Massachusetts who joined PSI in the fall of 2023. She presented on the structure and dynamics of planetary magnetospheres with a focus on recent results from NASA’s Juno mission at Jupiter.
Ben Boatwright joined PSI in August 2023 and is a Massachusetts-based Associate Research Scientist and a visiting assistant professor of astronomy at Mount Holyoke College. He presented virtually on the interesting ways planetary scientists can use planetary visualization tools for their research.
Lior Rubanenko, a Colorado-based Associate Research Scientist, joined in November 2024 and explained how Martian dune slopes reveal the change of seasons and the presence of near-surface ice on Mars.
“We very much appreciate all of our new scientists,” said PSI CEO and Director Mark Sykes. “They enrich and expand the range of science we conduct, and contribute to the vitality of our organization.”
