Grants, Awards, and honors received in the last year
Raymond Arvidson received fourth NASA Public Service Award and a Research.com Earth Science Leader Award
Jeffrey Catalano was named director of the Environmental Studies program.
Robert Dymek retired after 39 years of teaching and is now professor emeritus of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences.
Bruce Fegley and Katharina Lodders attended the workshop on “Evolution of the solar system: constraints from meteorites” held at the International Space Science Institute in Bern, Switzerland, on June 5through 9 and presented talks on their work. Together with Herbert Palme (Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Frankfurt, Germany) and Maria Bergemann (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany), Katharina Lodders led the session on “Abundances of the chemical elements in the solar system from meteorites and the Sun” and presented a talk about “How close are CI chondrite chemical compositions to the Sun?” Bruce Fegley presented a talk about “Equilibrium chemistry of volatile elements in bulk silicate Earth material.”
David Fike, professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences and new Department Chair, was installed as the Myron & Sonya Glassberg/Albert & Blanche Greensfelder Distinguished University Professor. Sonya
“Sunny” Weinberg Glassberg established the endowed professorship in 2011 to support faculty who are leaders in the study and promotion of renewable energy and sustainability.
Bradley Jolliff, the Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences and director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University was elected to be on NASA’s Artemis III geology team. NASA’s Artemis III mission will land astronauts, including the first woman to land on the Moon, near the lunar South Pole to advance scientific discovery and pave the way for long-term lunar exploration. Jolliff is working with graduate student Cameron Moye to evaluate all of the potential Artemis III landing sites for their suitability to accomplish mission science objectives.
Bronwen Konecky, along with husband Chris Havlin, welcomed baby Genevieve on April 16, 2023. Konecky was also awarded a collaborative NSF grant to reconstruct 50,000 years of Indian Monsoon history in summer 2023.
William McKinnon was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in May 2023 and awarded the 2023 Kuiper Prize for outstanding contributions to planetary science from the American Astronomical Society.
Roger Michaelides has received a $75,000 exploratory seed grant from the Taylor Geospatial Institute to study the complex interplay of permafrost, vegetation, and wildfire risk.
Claire Masteller received TRIADS seed grant funding to study the link between flooding and health outcomes in Cahokia Heights and surrounding communities.
Kun Wang was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences. Wang has been chosen to be part of NASA’s Mars Sample Return Measurement Definition Team. Wang was also selected for NASA’s OSIRISREx Sample Analysis Participating Scientist Program and received a three-year, $503,856 grant to investigate moderately volatile element isotopic compositions of asteroid Bennu as well as their implications for the asteroid’s volatile depletion history.