CosmoQuest’s mixer for graduate students at AGU. Credit: Sanlyn Buxner

On December 11, CosmoQuest sponsored a mixer for graduate students attending the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, giving them an opportunity to get to know notable scientists in planetary science and space physics, and find out about their careers in a variety of professional backgrounds (e.g., academics, industry, federal labs). There were two panels of professionals from different divisions of AGU – Planetary Science, and Space Physics and Aeronomy.

Our panel of planetary scientists. Credit: Maya Bakerman

The Planetary Science panel was moderated by Sheri Klug Boonstra, the Director of the ASU Mars Education Program within the Mars Space Flight Facility, School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. The panelists for Planetary Science were:

• Dr. Bethany Ehlmann is a participating scientist on the NASA Mars Rover Curiosity mission, a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and assistant professor of planetary science at Caltech.
• Dr. David Grinspoon is a Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute and Adjunct Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Science at the University of Colorado.
• Dr. Craig Hardgrove is Principal Investigator of the LunaH-Map mission, the first planetary science mission designed, built and operated by ASU.
• Dr. John A. Grant, III is a Geologist at the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum, and has been a member of the Science Team for the Mars Exploration Rovers since 2002 and is one of six Science Operations Working Group Chairs responsible for leading day-to-day science planning of the rovers which have been operating for more than five years on Mars.
• Dr. Jim Green is the division director of Planetary Science for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

SPA Panel at AGU mixer. Credit: Sanlyn Buxner.

The Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) panel was organized and moderated by Nick Gross from Boston University, who is recognized as an expert in the development and delivery of interactive and engaging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education programs. The panelists for SPA were:

• Dr. Fran Bagenal is professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder and is a co-investigator on the New Horizons mission. Her main area of expertise is the study of charged particles trapped in planetary magnetic fields. She is interested in finding out if the solar wind interaction with Pluto’s escaping atmosphere acts like a comet.
• Dr. Stephen Kahler works with the AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, doing research on SEPs and space weather forecasting models.
• Dr. Ramon Lopez is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) where he leads a research group that is working in both space physics and science education, and Co-Director for the UTA UTeach teacher preparation program
• Dr. Ian Cohen is a postdoc at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, Space Exploration Sector, Post-Docworking primarily with the MMS/EIS science and instrument teams.

The mixer was well-attended with over 50 scientists and 70 students in attendance, with the students getting a wonderful opportunity to spend time and discuss the various fields and careers represented.