Issue 16-23, June 26, 2016
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- IN MEMORIAM: GERALD J. WASSERBURG (1930-2016)
- HARTMANN STUDENT TRAVEL GRANTS FOR DPS 48/EPSC 11
- EUROPLANET TRAVEL BURSARY FOR DPS48/EPSC11
- SBAG 15th MEETING REMOTE PARTICIPATION INFORMATION
- UPCOMING MEETINGS
- JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
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IN MEMORIAM: GERALD J. WASSERBURG (1927-2016)
Gerald J. Wasserburg was an American geologist. At the time of his death,
he was the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Emeritus,
at the California Institute of Technology. He was best known for his work in the
fields of isotope geochemistry, cosmochemistry, meteoritics, and astrophysics.
After leaving the U.S. Army, where he received the Combat Infantryman Badge,
he attended college on the G.I. Bill. Wasserburg completed his Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago in 1954, with a thesis on the development of krypton-argon
dating. He joined the faculty at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in
1955 as Assistant Professor. He became Associate Professor in 1959 and Professor
of Geology and Geophysics in 1962, and in 1982, became the John D. MacArthur
Professor of Geology and Geophysics, retiring in 2001. Along with Typhoon Lee
and Dimitri Papanastassiou, he discovered the presence of short-lived radioactive
aluminum-26 in the early solar system and short-lived palladium-107.
Wasserburg was deeply involved in the Apollo program with the returned lunar
samples, and was the last living member of the so-called “Four Horsemen,” whose
other members were Bob Walker, Jim Arnold, and Paul Gast. He pioneered the
precise measurement of ultra-small samples under strict clean room conditions with
minimal contamination. He was also the co-inventor of the Lunatic Spectrometer
(the first fully digital, mass spectrometer with computer controlled magnetic field
scanning and rapid switching) and founder of the “Lunatic Asylum” research
laboratory at Caltech, which specialized in high-precision, high-sensitivity isotopic
analyses of meteorites and lunar samples. He and his co-workers were major
contributors to establishing a chronology for the Moon and proposed the hypothesis
of the late heavy bombardment (LHB) of the whole inner solar system.
Wasserburg’s research led to a better understanding of the origins and history of the
solar system and its component bodies and the precursor stellar sources contributing
to the solar system. This research established a timescale for the development of the
early solar system, including the processes of nucleosynthesis and the formation and
evolution of the planets, the Moon, and the meteorites.
Wasserburg was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Science, the American
Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Norwegian
Academy of Science and Letters. He was also the recipient of numerous awards,
including the Arthur L. Day Medal in 1970, the NASA Distinguished Public Service
Medal in 1972 and 1978, the Wollaston Medal in 1985, the Gold Medal of the Royal
Astronomical Society in 1991, the Bowie Medal in 2008, the H. Hess Medal of the
American Geophysical Union in 1985, the Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Society
in 1975, the J. Lawrence Smith Medal of the National Academy of Science in 1985,
the Holmes Medal of the European Union of Geosciences in 1986, and the V. M.
Goldschmidt Medal of the Geochemical Society in 1978.
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HARTMANN STUDENT TRAVEL GRANTS FOR DPS 48/EPSC 11
A generous contribution from William K. Hartmann, supplemented by member
contributions and matching funds from the DPS Committee, has enabled a limited
number of student travel grants to assist participation by early-career scientists at
the annual DPS meeting.
Application details are at meetings/travel_grant_application
Travel grants are primarily intended for students, but post-doctoral scientists
without other means of support will also be considered.
The due date for applications is July 8, 2016 11:59 PM.
The DPS Leadership is also soliciting additional contributions from members
for the Hartmann Fund. Your tax-deductible gift promotes the careers of our next
generation of planetary scientists. Thanks so much for your generosity.
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EUROPLANET TRAVEL BURSARY FOR DPS48/EPSC11
Europlanet through its Research Infrastructure and support from ESA will
support a limited number of Travel Bursaries for Early Stage Researchers
(PhD Students) presenting oral or poster papers at the DPS-EPSC meeting.
To apply, please send the following in a single email to Steve Miller :
- A copy of your meeting abstract
- A cover letter
- Your educational institution, with contact detail
- A brief (one page) CV
- The name and email address of your supervisor.
- Details of any funding you have already been allocated to attend the meeting
- Whether you received a previous travel grant from Europlanet for the 2015 meeting (Nantes).
- Please attach a letter of recommendation from your Supervisor
These should be received by Friday July 8, 2016.
Results of applications will be announced by end of July.
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SMALL BODIES ASSESSMENT GROUP 15TH MEETING:
REMOTE PARTICIPATION INFORMATION
The 15th meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) will be
held Tuesday, June 28, to midday Thursday, June 30, at the Johns
Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD. Remote
participation via Adobe Connect will be available from this link:
https://ac.arc.nasa.gov/sbag2016
The meeting agenda and other items are available on the SBAG website:
We are looking forward to a productive meeting, starting on Tuesday!
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UPCOMING MEETINGS
A) GSA 2016 SESSION T164: GEOLOGY OF THE PLUTO SYSTEM
We invite contributions to a special session on the geology of Pluto,
its large moon Charon, and the smaller satellites Styx, Nix, Kerberos,
and Hydra, at the 2016 GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, September
25-28.
The New Horizons mission has revealed surprisingly complex geology
on the surfaces of Pluto and Charon. This session highlights the
geological diversity of both bodies, as well as evidence for vigorous,
ongoing activity on Pluto. By meeting time, most of the encounter data
will be on the ground, providing an ideal opportunity to synthesize
what we have learned of the geology of these remote worlds, and to
compare and contrast processes with those on the Earth, Mars, and icy
satellites. This session also serves as a companion to the special
Pardee Symposium on Exploring the Third Zone: The Geology of Pluto,
Charon, and the Kuiper Belt (P3).
Please consider submitting an abstract for this session. For more
information, visit:
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/cfp.epl
The submission deadline is July 12, 2016.
Conveners:
William B McKinnon (Washington University in St. Louis)
Jeffrey M Moore (NASA Ames Research Center)
We hope to see you in Denver!
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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
A) POST-DOCTORAL POSITION IN SMALL BODY SOLAR
SYSTEM SCIENCE AT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY, BELFAST
Dr. Wesley Fraser invites applications for a post-doctoral position at
Queen’s University, in Belfast Northern Ireland. This post is available
for 1.5 years from 1 October 2016 to work as part of the Solar System
Group within the Astrophysics Research Centre. Faculty members of the
QUB Solar System Group are current leaders of large telescope surveys,
including an ESO large program on Kuiper Belt Object lightcurves
(PI: Pedro Lacerda), the Colours of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey
using the Gemini-North and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescopes
(PI Wesley Fraser), and the Pan-STARRS Solar System Survey
(Co-lead Alan Fitzsimmons).
The successful candidate will exploit these three datasets to study outer
Solar System targets. Analysis of these data will focus on the following
projects: searches for activity, photometric variability, and colour studies.
Further details of the post can be found here.
To apply for the position, please visit the application page.
Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr. Wesley Fraser
(telephone: +44 02890976354; email: [email protected]).
Anticipated interview date: 27 July 2016
Salary: £31,656 – £41,255 per annum.
Closing date: 11 July 2016
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Send submissions to:
Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected])
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To change your address email [email protected].
Gerald J. Wasserburg was an American geologist. At the time of his death, he was the John D. MacArthur Professor of Geology and Geophysics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology. He was best known for his work in the fields of isotope geochemistry, cosmochemistry, meteoritics, and astrophysics.
S. Ichtiaque Rasool passed away peacefully on April 20, 2016. Born in 1930 in Lucknow, India, Ichtiaque moved to France where he earned his doctorate in atmospheric sciences in 1956 at the University of Paris and met his wife of 51 years, Francoise. He came to United States in 1961 at the invitation of Robert Jastrow of the Goddard Institute of Space Science and began what turned out to be an amazing 45 year career with NASA eventually retiring from the position of Chief Scientist for Global Change. In 1968, Ichtiaque spent a sabbatical year in Paris, during which he gave lectures that were instrumental in the formation of a planetology group at the Paris Observatory and attracted Catherine de Bergh, Thérèse Encrenaz, and Daniel Gautier to pursue careers in planetary science. While at GISS, he was appointed an editor of the Journal of The Atmospheric Sciences and actively solicited papers on planetary atmospheres. Ichtiaque became a US citizen in 1970 and in 1971 he moved to NASA Headquarters as the Deputy Director for Planetary Programs under Director Robert S. Kraemer when the Grand Tour Mission was under consideration and cancelled and resurrected as Voyager 1 (Mariner Jupiter Saturn) and 2 (Mariner Jupiter Uranus Neptune). During this period there was also the launch and landing of Viking Spacecrafts on Mars. Later Ichtiaque served as Noel Hinner’s Deputy for Science before moving over to the Earth Science side of NASA. After joining GISS he collaborated with Arv Kliore on Mariner radio occultation measurements of the atmospheres/ionospheres of Mars and Venus. With Catherine de Bergh he wrote one of the early papers about the runaway greenhouse on Venus and with Stephen Schneider he raised the issue about the combined effects of large increases in CO2 and aerosols in a Science publication. He was the recipient of the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement in 1974, the William T. Pecora Award in 2002, and the COSPAR William Nordberg Medal in 1988. Throughout his career he was a strong advocate for international cooperation in Earth and planetary sciences, even during waning years of the cold war. Ichtiaque is survived by his wife, his son, Immanuel Rasool, his daughter, Elisa Petit, and four grandchildren. For those who would like to know more about his unique career, his book entitled “My Life: From Riches to Rags and (almost) back! A Memoire” is recommended and available from 
The planetary community, and in particular his French colleagues and friends, are very sad to announce the passing of André Brahic. Professor at the University Paris-Diderot, based at the Observatory of Paris until 1995 and the AIM laboratory at CEA Saclay, André Brahic devoted most of his career to the study of solar system bodies, in particular of planetary rings and the formation of planets, but started out by working on the chaos theory, the dynamics of galaxies and the supernovas. He was a member of the scientific teams of the cameras on Voyager 1 and 2, through which he made many discoveries and notably confirmed the existence of Neptune rings and the arcs of the Adams ring, that he had predicted. With an international team, he showed that the Adams ring, is actually composed of four arcs that he and his collaborators baptized “Courage”, “Liberté”, “Egalité”, “Fraternité” (CLEF for “KEY” in French). He was also a member of the science team on the Cassini mission, still returning amazing science results from the Saturnian system, that André would have liked to follow until the mission’s end. André Brahic was of course also an extraordinary communicator, who transmitted his passion for science and astrophysics to generations of students and to the public. This has probably incited many of today astronomers career choices, as it was for me – André was my professor during the Master degree. He knew how to communicate his enthusiasm for science to everyone, whatever their level of education. André Brahic received the DPS Carl Sagan Medal in 2001 and the Jean Perrin 2006 award for scientific popularization. In July 2015, he received the insignia of Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in France. André Brahic has left an impressive heritage and will always be remembered as a great scientist, a great teacher and a great advocate of communicating with the public.