| Conferences |
| LPSC 2009 |
Members of the Space Center, including faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students, recently attended the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. The papers submitted are listed below.
Low Temperature Aqueous Perchlorate Solutions on the Surface of Mars. J. Hanley, V.F. Chevrier, T. S. Altheide
Reflectance Spectra of Low-Temperature Chloride and Perchlorate Hydrates and Their Relevance to the Martian Surface. B.L. Davis, V.F. Chevrier, T.S. Altheide, C.Swaffar
Metamorphism of Ordinary Chondrites at the Type-3/Type-4 Boundary. C. Ragland, S.A. Bretzius, A.M. Naranjo, T. Thomas, N. Grossman, A.E. Rubin, D.W.G. Sears
The Mineral Compositions and Classification of High Type-3 and Type-4 Ordinary Chondrites. J.N. Grossman, A.E. Rubin, D.W.G. Sears
Acidic Weathering of Martian-Relevant Phyllosilicates. T.S. Altheide, V.F. Chevrier
An Investigation of Phyllosilicates, C Chondrites, and C Asterioids Using Continuum Slopes of Near Infrared Spectra. D.R. Ostrowski, D.W.G. Sears, K.M. Gietzen, C.H.S. Lacy
Induced Thermoluminescence Properties of Forsterite and Implications for the History of Primitive Solar System Materials. J. Craig, D.W.G. Sears
Penetration Forces for Subsurface Regolith Probes. A. El Shafie, R. Ulrich, L.A. Roe
Subsurface Spectroscopic Probe for Regolith Analysis. R. Pilgrim, R. Ulrich, M. Leftwich
Sublimation Kinetics of CO2 Ice and Evolution of the Martian Polar Caps. D.G. Blackburn, K.L. Bryson, V.F. Chevrier, L.A. Roe, K.F. White
Low-Calcium and Calcium-Free Clinopyroxene Spectra and the Implications for UOC Material on Asteroids. K.M. Gietzen, C.H.S. Lacy, D.R. Ostrowski, D.W.G. Sears
Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Meteoritic Impacts on Clays on Mars. P. Gavin, V.F. Chevrier, K. Ninagawa, A. Gucsik, S. Hasegawa
The Evolution of Astronomically Forced Siliclastic Rhythmites of the Ancient Earth and Their Correlation to Banded-Iron Formations. D.L. Androes, J.C. Dixon, D.L. Zachry
Thermal Alteration of Nontronite and Montmorillonite: Implications for the Martian Surface. P. Gavin, V.F. Chevrier
Early Martian Surface Conditions from Thermodynamics of Phyllosilicates. V.F. Chevrier
Martian Gully Morphologies. K.A. Coleman, J.C. Dixon
Evaporation of Sulfate and Chloride Brines on the Surface of Mars. T.S. Altheide, V.F. Chevrier, J. Denson, C. Nicholson
Experimental Study of the Kinetics of CO2 Dissociation Under Simulated Martian Conditions. D.G. Blackburn, R. Ulrich, M.E. Elwood Madden, J.R. Leeman, V.F. Chevrier
Liquid Water and Water-Ice Slush Flume Simulations of Gully Synthesis Varying Exit Aperture Diameter. E.G. Rivera-Valentin, P. Gavin, K.A. Coleman, J.C. Dixon
Evaporation Effects on the Formation of Martian Gullies. K.L. Bryson, D.W.G. Sears
Viscosity of Liquid Ferric Sulfate Solutions and Application to the Formation of Gullies on Mars. V.F. Chevrier, R. Ulrich, T.S. Altheide
Jarosite in an East African Saline-Alkaline Paleolake Deposit: Implications for Mars. L.J. McHenry, V.F. Chevrier, C. Schroder
| Faculty News |
| Fang-Zhen Teng |
 |
Fang-Zhen Teng, a member of the Space Center and a faculty member in the department of Geosciences, recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation in the amount of $175,022. The research that will be conducted will focus on magnesium isotopic investigations of oceanic basalts and olivines. |
| Center Students |
| Ashley Stewart |
 |
Ashley Stewart, an undergraduate student and a Space Center Honors REU alumna, recently defended her Honors thesis entitled “Improvement of Moderate Redshift Quasar Surveys Utilizing Infrared and Optical Data.” She will graduate this May. Congratulations Ashley! |
| Center Outreach |
| Julia Kennefick |
Julia Kennefick, a member of the Space Center and a faculty member in the department of Physics, recently gave a talk to students at Northeastern State University entitled “Quasars and Black Holes.” She also talked about the graduate and REU programs available at the Space Center and opportunities in the Physics department.
| Center Outreach |
| Planetarium Demonstration |
A group of students from Turnbow Elementary School in Springdale, Arkansas, recently visited the Space Center for a planetarium demonstration. The demonstrations showed the students constellations in the sky and proper motion. The demonstrations were facilitated by members of the Planetarium Board.
| Center Outreach |
| Barringer Lecture |
Dr. Simon Mitton, the Director at Total Astronomy Limited and the Managing Editor for the International Journal of Astrobiology at Cambridge University Press, delivered the Barringer Lecture for the spring 2009 semester, entitled “Conflict in the Cosmos – The Life and the Science of Fred Hoyle.” The lecture was part of the Barringer Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Barringer Crater Company.
Dr. Mitton has extensive experience as a writer, editor, and publisher of high-level books on physics and astronomy. He is also a Fellow and Treasurer at St. Edmund’s College. Clients include NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine, several world class academic presses, and Thomson Reuters (Philadelphia).
| Meetings |
| Upcoming Meetings |
Workshop on Modeling Martian Hydrous Environments
June 1-3, 2009
Houston, Texas
72nd Meteoritical Society Meeting
July 13-18, 2009
Nancy, France
International Conference on Space Technology
August 24-26, 2009
Thessaloniki, Greece
International Conference on Asteroid-Comet Hazard 2009
September 21-25, 2009
St. Petersburg, Russia
International Meteor Conference 2009
September 24-27, 2009
Porec, Croatia
41st Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society
October 4-9, 2009
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting
October 18-21, 2009
Portland, Oregon