Three core area courses in the new graduate program in space  and planetary sciences will be offered this Fall.  SPAC graduate students take several of the core courses in order to introduce them to the interdisciplinary nature of space and planetary sciences and to give them a broad overview of the field.  Electives are chosen to compliment their chosen research areas within  space and planetary sciences.  Also offered this fall is an interdisciplinary laboratory course in space and planetary sciences  that serves as an introduction to center research.  Details follow.

	Astronautics (MEEG 4523) will be taught by Dr. Larry Roe of the Mechanical Engineering department.  This course covers the study of spacecraft design and operations.
	Planetary Atmospheres (SPAC 5313) will be taught by Dr. Rick Ulrich of the Chemical Engineering department.  The course covers topics such as the origins of planetary atmospheres, the structures of atmospheres, climate evolution, the dynamics and levels in atmospheres, etc.
	Planetary Systems (SPAC 5033) will be taught by Dr. Julia Kennefick of the Physics department.  The course covers topics such as the nature of the solar system and other planetary systems, as deduced from observations and theoretical modeling.
	Space and Planetary Lab (SPAC 111L) will be taught by Dr. Derek Sears of the Chemistry/Biochemistry department.  The course covers experiments in the five core areas:  planetary astronomy, planetary geology, planetary atmospheres, origin and evolution of life, and orbital mechanics and astronautics.

The space center is pleased to announce that Dr. Alan Mantooth and Dr. John Dixon have joined the faculty at the space center.

Dr. Alan Mantooth is a Professor in the Electrical Engineering department at the University of Arkansas.  His current research includes mixed-signal circuit and system design, as well as modeling semiconductor devices, analog circuits and systems, mixed-signal circuits and systems, and mixed-technology systems (electro-thermal and electro-mechanical).  He is also interested in CAD tools for modeling and design of the above areas.  He is particularly interested in their suitability for the space environment.  

Dr. John Dixon is a Professor of Geography in the Geosciences department at the University of Arkansas.  Dr. Dixon is a geomorphologist, interested in the  physical geography of Arctic regions.  His space research interests currently focus on the development of methods and software to enable web-based access to a collection of historical imagery from several remote sensing platforms and from locations around the world.  The collection, gathered by Professor Emeritus Harold McDonald, is currently housed in the University of Arkansas library; it includes rare imagery from Skylab, SIRA, and SEASAT programs.

This summer I was privileged enough to participate in what ended up being the most stimulating, exciting, and difficult summer I’ve ever had.  I was an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) student here at the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences. 

From the first day to the farewell banquet on the last night, the activities and education were non-stop.  I came to this opportunity expecting to take from it a basic idea of what it’s like in the research world—an area in which I haven’t had much prior experience.  I worked on two projects, which gave me a chance to figure out what I want to do in the area of space science research.  My own school doesn’t offer any courses in space or planetary sciences, so without this summer I wouldn’t have been able to make those discoveries about myself.

But an REU is so much more than just summer research.  That in itself takes up a lot of time, energy, and brain power, but the Center didn’t stop there at providing a well-rounded experience for the students.  Every Tuesday afternoon, we met to hear presentations by grad students, professors, or visiting speakers on topics that were often only distantly related to our own.  We presented posters halfway through the summer, as well as our final oral presentations.

It might have been the common interest in space that we already shared, and it might have been just luck, but my twelve fellow students were some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met.  I say “some” because I want to leave room for all the graduate and undergraduate students at the Center, as well as all the faculty and staff that made this summer possible.  The thirteen participants this year spent ten weeks living together and working together, and we still managed to enjoy each other’s company enough to hang out when work was over (or just being avoided).  We took “field trips” to Dallas and Tulsa, visited neighboring towns to ice skate or shop, and played an awful lot of frisbee and soccer.  We were more than a group of coworkers; we were a group of friends.  My fellow students, along with all the other incredible people I had contact with through this program, made an inherently great summer amazing.

Jessica Haseltine
Space Center REU Alumni, 2005
Abilene Christian University, Texas

FREE - Poultry Science Auditorium - 7:00 pm

“The Origins of Flight”
Dr. Larry Roe, UArk
Mechanical Engineering Dept.
October 5, 2005

“Huygens at Titan” - Barringer Lecture Series
Dr. Robert M. Nelson
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
November 8, 2005

“The Star of Bethlehem”
Dr. Claud Lacy, UArk
Physics Department
November 16, 2005