Category: News

EPSS graduate student Patrick Boehnke has been named the 2014 recipient of the Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award from the Geological Society of America’s Division of Planetary Geology.  This international award honors the memory of Eugene M. Shoemaker, one of the founders of the science of impact cratering who brought geological principles into the emerging discipline of planetary science.  The Shoemaker award has been given 16 times since its founding in 1999, and Patrick becomes the 2nd EPSS student to win the prize.  You can read more about Gene Shoemaker and the award that bears his name at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/kring/Awards/Shoemaker_Award/index.shtml.  

SPINLab scientists used a tank, a record player, and dye to create an exciting video that illustrates the formation of  Taylor columns.  These striking columns are fluid dynamics phenomenon that occur as fluid moves around an obstacle in a rotating system.  Check out the new video below:

Assistant Professor Marco Velli in the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences department has just been named as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.  Marco is cited “For his pioneering work on coronal heating, the origin of the solar wind, and the theory of solar wind turbulence driven by wave reflections.”  This honor is given to members who have made exceptional scientific contributions and attained acknowledged eminence in the fields of Earth and space sciences. It is limited to no more than 0.1 percent of the total membership of AGU annually.  Marco and his 2014 Fellows will be recognized during a ceremony on Wednesday, 17 December, held during the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

 

UCLA’s David Paige along with a team of US and foreign collaborators has been selected to design and run a ground-penetrating radar instrument to be included as part of the payload of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. The Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Exploration (RIMFAX), was one of seven (out of 58 proposals) carefully-selected instruments that will conduct unprecedented science and exploration technology investigations on the Red Planet.

A unique instrument that has not been taken to Mars previously, the RIMFAX will provide centimeter-scale resolution of the geology and structure of the upper 500 meters of the Martian subsurface. Professor David Paige, the Deputy Principal Investigator of the instrument, said “RIMFAX will aid the Mars 2020 rover in its mission to explore the ancient habitability of Mars, and select promising samples for caching and eventual sample return.”

For more information about the Mars 2020 mission, visit NASA’s mission-specific website: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mars2020/ .

 

 

 

 

Professor Jon Aurnou and the UCLA SPINLab have posted a new educational video illustrating the rotational effects on falling droplets in both air and water.  The video features music composed by EPSS department administrator Mike Rathjen.  Learn more about SPINLab and watch more videos like this one on their website.

On October 9th, Dr. Alan Harris will give the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Lecture for the Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Department.  There will be a reception held at 5:30pm at the Young Hall Patio, followed by the lecture at 6:30pm in Court of Sciences 76.  The talk title is “Hunting for Killer Asteroids, the Past, Present and Future of Near-Earth Asteroid Surveys”.  Dr. Harris, who earned his PhD from UCLA in 1975, has spent the majority of his career studying the impact hazards of near-Earth asteroids.

Learn more about the lecture and Dr. Harris here.

 

On June 27th, a group of 40 high school students visited UCLA from the Moreno Valley College Upward Bound Math and Science Program.  They toured the newly renovated UCLA Meteorite Gallery and spoke to a student panel about physics and astronomy.  This visit was sponsored by AstronomyLive! and iPLEX.  Upward Bound coordinator Micki Clowney said of the experience: “The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  Everything from the tour of the gallery to the student panel to the mini tour to the Bruin Bear was memorable.  The students really enjoyed speaking to the undergraduate and graduate students to learn about their experiences.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!”

 

On June 28, 2014, iPLEX planetary scientists sponsored several activities at the TwentyWonder charity event held in Echo Park in Los Angeles.  The 21+ event, part smorgasbord for the mind and part roller derby, included a variety of exhibits ranging from comedians to musicians to scientists.  iPLEX volunteers brought an inflatable planetarium and ran shows throughout the evening and also set up a gravity well demo.  Proceeds from TwentyWonder went to benefit the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA) – to find out how to donate, visit their website.

This year’s Exploring Your Universe (EYU) event at UCLA will be held on Sunday, November 16th, 2014.  Exploring Your Universe is an annual event held on the UCLA campus that includes science exhibitions, hands-on activities, demonstrations and experiments.  The event is free to the public and promises an exciting time and a great learning experience for kids and adults alike.

To read more about previous years’ EYU events and other iPLEX outreach events, please visit our outreach page and stay tuned for more updates!