This is the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for
Planetary Science (AAS-DPS). 800 planetary scientsts in Utah!
I didn't take very many photos this year, but Provo is certainly beautiful!
Thanks to everyone for letting me point a camera in their face, and distract
them during talks. Here's a small gallery from the meeting.
Louise Prockter (LPI) gets the 2017 Masursky Award for service to the planetary science community, including science definition teams, mentorship programs, mission development leadership, and on and on.
Louise Prockter.
And of course one more award: the Urey Prize! It's gone to Bethany Ehlmann (Caltech), for her work on Mars' very eary hydrothermal environment.
Bethany Ehlmann gets to talk about early Martian water systems!
Bethany Ehlmann.
Bethany Ehlmann.
Bethany Ehlmann.
Bethany Ehlmann.
And, in the front row of the audience here are my wife Heidi, mom Janet, and daughter Piper. Hmm -- what are they doing at DPS?
Actually, I tried to talk them all out of coming at first, especially since it's quite a trip from India to Provo. But it was really nice to have them all there! They've all been dragged to a lot of my talks and helped me out and supported me so much over the years that it was great to have them here.
And I receive the Carl Sagan medal, for the outreach work that I've done in India and Africa for the past six years. In the past, the Sagan medal has been awarded to just one person, but the DPS committee this year chose to give two of them!
Photos by Heidi!
Henry Throop and Lucy McFadden.
Perhaps this is not the most flattering portrat of me, but I think it's a pretty accurate depiction of how I usually look.
I get to give a short two-minute talk to the DPS community assembled here. It's just enough time for a bunch of thank-you's. I'm really grateful for all of the people who have helped me along on the outreach I've been able to do across the world: something like 150 public talks in the last six years.
Meg Schwamb (Gemini Observatory) also wins the Carl Sagan Medal for her outreach work, involving citizen science geology on Mars with the Planet Four program (abstract).
As part of the Carl Sagan medal, both Meg Schwamb and myself gave public talks at the BYU campus. It was a great evening, with a nearly-full lecture hall of students and public, followed by an open roof-top session at the observatory. I talked with a ton of great people who were really interested in doing outreach. (In particular, the mission of BYU does indeed include global outreach, so there was quite a bit of interest.)
Here, Darin Ragozzine (BYU) introduces the talks.
Meg Schwamb is up first, talking about the Planet Four project in which she's been involved. Lights were out during the talk so no more photos during it, but BYU recorded it and I put it up at the link below.
And now I'm on. I particularly like the fancy sign that Darrin Ragozzine has put up!
Henry Throop. Photos by Heidi!
BYU recorded the talk, and you can see it at the link.
Talking with attendees after the talk. Looks like Eliot Young and John Spencer, along with Henry Throop.
Back to the main DPS sessions! Linda Spilker (JPL) gives a plenary talk about Cassini's Grand Finale mission.
Amanda Hendrix (PSI) and Jani Radebaugh (BYU), with Saturn in the background!
Matt Tiscareno (SETI) talks about all of the cool ring features that Cassini has found at Saturn during the Grand FInale mission (abstract).
Matt Tiscareno.
Matt Tiscareno.
Michele Dougherty (Imperial College London) gives a summary of Saturn B-field results from the Cassini Grand Finale (abstract).
Tristan Guillot (Obs Cote d'Azur)
Tristan Guillot with Glenn Orton (JPL).
Tommy Greathouse (SwRI) gives the latest on Juno's observations of the Jovian aurora (abstract).
Tommy Greathouse
Just 59 seconds left for Tommy to show some more great Jovian aurora footage!
Candy Hansen (PSI) gives an overview of the 'citizen science' work being done by JunoCam's observations of Jupiter (abstract).
Candy Hansen
Candy Hansen and Glenn Orton taking questions.
Glenn Orton (JPL)
Andy Ingersoll (Caltech) gives the lowdown on the latest Juno atmospheric dynamics results (abstract).
Andy Ingersoll (Caltech)
I wish I could be as cool as Andy Ingersoll, but I'm not.
Andy Ingersoll.
Andy Ingersoll gives a thumbs-up to the questioner for a taking him on!
Nancy Chanover (NMSU) introduces the next speaker: William Smith (U. Utah).
Sociologist William Smith gives a talk on the effects racial micro-aggressions on interactions between scientists. It is nice to see the emergence of sessions like this at recent DPSs.
And it's Sarah Horst (JHU), giving a great talk about long hydrocarbons on Titan (abstract).
Sarah Horst.
The most amazing thing she showed was a plot which gave the number density vs. atomic mass detected at Titan. The obvious expectation was that everything would be sort-of long-ish, with a mass of like N < 50. But it turns out that most of the mass of the atmosphere is in these super huge chains of N > 1000. It's totally wild.
Someone in the audience during the Q+A: "I'd just like to point out that not only was that an amazing talk, but Sarah has done this whole thing while dressed up wearing Titan!".
Sarah Horst.
Sarah Horst.
Oh look! It's Dave Brain, coming to us from University of Colorado to chat about classic movies Mars' magnetic field (abstract). I understand that Dave barely made it here, but he left so fast afterwards I couldn't get the highly entertaining story from him.
Dave seems to be talking straight at me. Oh, he is! Thank you for the personal attention, Dr. Brain! Here's your photo.
Now Dave Brain is really jumping into action!
David Brain in a rare moment of calm.
Dave Brain and Jeff Hollingsworth (Ames) consider whether they should entertain a few questions.
Amaury Triaud (U. Birmingham) starts talking about the seven new planets he just discovered in the TRAPPIST-1 system. That's worth a DPS talk for sure! (Abstract.)
Amaury Triaud (U. Cambridge) talks about the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet system (abstract).
Jani Radebaugh gives the overview of the rules for Open Mic Night (basically, sign up, walk up, and have fun).
It's a full house for the DPS talent night And lest you think this is a dry event being in Utah, the bar is outside and would be happy to serve you (single pours only).
Tiffany Kataria (JPL), Brian Jackson (Boise State), Lucy Lim (Goddard), Shannon MacKenzie (U Idaho) , Matt Tiscareno (SETI), and Catherine Neish (PSI).
Matt Tiscareno and Catherine Neish.
Lots of Tom Petty-themed productions this year.
Joe 'Cowboy' Spitale (PSI).
Joe Spitale.
Scot Rafkin (SwRI), Amanda Hendrix (PSI), Joe Spitale (PSI), Marc Buie (SwRI), and Julien Salmon (SwRI).
Amanda Hendrix.
Amanda Hendrix.
Matt Tiscareno.
Tim Livengood enlightens with a classic story about monkey brains, Mauna Kea, liquid nitrogen, and/or polytropes.
Tim Livengood.
Radwan Tajeddine (Cornell).
Radwan Tajeddine.
Radwan Tajeddine
David Polishook (Weizmann Institute of Science).
David Polishook.
David Polishook.
Jani Radebaugh MC's the evening.
Tanguy Bertrand (NCRS, France), Andy Rivken (APL), and Apurva Oza (LATMOS, France) face off in an epic rap battle!
Apurva Oza.
Apurva Oza.
Tanguy Bertrand argues emphatically for the value of observations in the solar system.
Tanguy Bertrand
Tanguy Bertrand and Apurva Oza, battling it out for Solar Sytem vs. Exoplanets!
Abrar Quadery (UCF, now U. Delaware) takes the stage!
Lucy Lim, Joe Spitale, Brian Jackson
Christa Van Laerhoven (UBC).
Christa Van Laerhoven.
David Grinspoon whips it up.
David Grinspoon.
Joe Spitale, David Grinspoon, and Marc Buie.
Joel Parker, David Grinspoon, Marc Buie, Scot Rafkin, and Julien Salmon are the Traveling Planetburys.
Scot Rafkin (SwRI) on the keyboards.
Julien Salmon.
Andy Rivkin.
And it's an ensemble chorus to close down the evening!
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