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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

CMS Graduate Student Awarded NASA Fellowship!

Congratulations to CMS Ph.D. student Prajkta Mane, the latest recipient of a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF).  This highly competitive fellowship is awarded to outstanding students pursuing graduate degrees in basic and applied research in Earth and space sciences.

Prajkta is currently studying the hydrogen isotopic composition of Tissint, the most recent martian meteorite fall. Hydrogen isotopes can be used to provide insights into martian water reservoirs; specifically, they can tell us about the origin of water on Mars, and how fast Mars lost its water.        

Mane also analyzes refractory inclusions found in primitive meteorites. These are considered to be the first solids to condense in our Solar System, formed in a hot solar nebula. The isotopic analysis of these inclusions can provide a window into Solar System formation, in particular the triggers and mechanisms of various early Solar System processes.

CMS Ph.D. candidates Curtis Williams and Karen Rieck, CMS Ph.D. graduates Lev Spivak-Birndorf and Matthew Sanborn, as well as former CMS Postdoctoral Research Associate Gregory Brennecka have all been awarded the NESSF in previous years.