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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

Inaugural Nininger Student Travel Award Winners Announced!

The Center for Meteorite Studies and the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) are pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Nininger Student Travel Award. The goal of this award is to support travel to the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) of up to 4 SESE undergraduate and graduate students to present their latest results.

The awardees are:
 
DunhamPicEmilie Dunham
Further evidence of beryllium-10 heterogeneity in the early solar system inferred from Be-B systematics of refractory inclusions in a minimally altered CR2 chondrite.
Emilie is currently in the second year of her Ph.D., studying in the Center for Meteorite, under Professor Meenakshi Wadhwa.  Her research focuses on determining the chemical and isotopic composition of meteorite components, to better understand the astrophysical birthplace of our Solar System. She analyzes Calcium Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs); as the first solids to condense from the solar nebula, they recorded the earliest events that shaped the Solar System. Specifically, she is measuring the concentration of 10Be in CAIs using ASU's SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer) in order to tell the story of its formation.
 
Ehsan__photoEhsan Gharib-Nezhad
Simulating haze particles in a H2-rich exoplanet atmosphere with high temperature discharge experiments.
Ehsan received his M.S. in physical chemistry from the University of Tehran at Iran, in 2013. His thesis focussed on the spectroscopy of diatomic molecules of astrophysical interest. Upon completion of his master's degree, his enthusiasm for astrochemistry lead him to apply to ASU, where he is currently working toward his Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor James Lyons, in the School of Earth and Space Exploration. To date, his studies have included the determination of oxygen isotope ratios in the solar photosphere (using the observationed CO infrared spectrum), as well as laboratory simulation of haze/aerosol formation in exoplanet atmospheres. While these projects may, initially, seem quite different from each other, they share the common goal of improving our understanding and interpretation of observed astronomical spectra.
 
UnknownCameron Mercer
Exploring non-uniform 40Ar* loss in Apollo 16 impact melt breccias using a laser microprobe.
At LPSC, Cameron presented 139 new spot fusion 40Ar/39Ar dates for three samples from the Apollo 16 sample archive. Published incremental heating 40Ar/39Ar data for two of these samples exhibit low apparent ages at low experimental temperatures, and higher apparent ages at intermediate to high experimental temperatures. These release spectra were interpreted to indicate that the samples had experienced partial loss of radiogenic 40Ar (denoted 40Ar*) following their formation, due to one or more reheating events. The laser microprobe is a useful tool for exploring the spatial variability of argon loss in such samples while preserving the petrographic context of the dated materials. Combined with ongoing work, the laser microprobe 40Ar/39Ar data will help to constrain the thermal histories recorded by these samples.  Cameron is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Earth & Space Exploration, studying under Professor Kip Hodges.
 
MeAndItokawa2Jessica Noviello
Order from chaos: A quantitative approach to identifying small chaos features on Europa.
Jessica Noviello is a second year Ph.D. student in the School of Earth & Space Exploration, studying under Professor Alyssa Rhoden. Her LPSC presentation explored the color data taken of Europa during the Galileo mission, in order to classify small chaos patches. Chaos usually presents as redder than the surrounding terrain and other small-scale features such as pits, spots, and domes. The red color is believed to be evidence of salts on Europa’s surface, and implies that liquid water exists at, or near, the surface around chaos patches. Combining the color data with other observational characteristics could enable the identification of small patches of chaos in low-resolution (> 1 km/pixel) images of Europa, yielding more data on the global frequency of chaos patches. This new information would help constrain heat-flux models of chaos model formation and make testable predictions for the upcoming Europa Flyby Flagship mission. Knowing how chaos forms could indicate where liquid water is most likely to be located, and guide the search for extraterrestrial life on Europa.