CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – Students and professors at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls are exploring South Dakota’s Wind Cave, gathering research on how life could survive in extreme environments.

The UNI team is led by UNI chemistry and biochemistry professor Joshua Sebree, who started taking students on trips to study the cave in 2019. The years of research have built up- mapping out the cave and discovering chemical “fossils” by shining a black light on cave walls. “Every now and then you just come around a corner that you’ve never visited. You flip on your black light and you see something completely unexpected that nobody’s even documented before,” says Sebree.

Sebree says caves here on Earth are usual a hostile environment for life, with no nutrients, sun, and limited water. But Sebree’s team is applying their research off Earth, to other planets, and moons. “Europa and Enceladus and Titan all have icy bodies and subsurface oceans. Mars has a lot of evidence for water. So there’s a a high probability that if you want to think about the most hospitable place where you want life to be outside the solar system, it’s going to be a cave,” says Sebree.

The research is being pitched to NASA- with the goal of providing models and data that makes the search for life on other planets easier. The research is funded by NASA and the Iowa Space Grant Consortium.

Read the full article on: KCRG.com

Author Credit: Becky Phelps

Original Post Date: 4.27.25

We are excited to introduce our newest postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Allison McGraw, who recently joined the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI). Dr. McGraw is a planetary scientist whose research bridges the gap between meteorites and their asteroid sources. Her work centers on understanding the mineralogy and spectral characteristics of ordinary chondrites—the most common type of meteorite—and how they link back to specific asteroid families. Through laboratory spectroscopy and mineral analyses, Dr. McGraw aims to improve our understanding of the processes that shape asteroid surfaces and the evolution of planetary materials across the solar system.

Read our interview with Dr. McGraw below to learn more about her path to planetary science and her current research.

LPI: How did you become interested in planetary science?
AM: My interest in planetary science comes from a lifelong love of rocks combined with a deep curiosity about the sky. When I was about eight years old, I got a dirt bike, and it opened a whole new geological world. Riding through the southwestern U.S., I started noticing the vastness of the landscape—mountain ranges, rock layers, and the immense scale of it all. I remember trying to dig out a cool rock I found, and my dad told me, “That rock might be the size of a house—you’ll be digging for a while.” That was my first real moment of appreciating Earth as a giant, powerful rock. And although I don’t remember it, my parents flew me over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter when I was a baby. I like to think that early view may have planted a subconscious seed for my love of rocks and planetary landscapes.

LPI: When did you know that you wanted to pursue this as a career?
AM: I was stargazing one night in my father’s backyard when I realized I didn’t just want to admire the night sky—I wanted to understand it. I decided right then that I wanted to study planetary science. The very next morning, my dad helped me enroll in community college, starting with an algebra class. I was managing full-time work as a store manager while taking courses in math, physics, astronomy, and geology until I transferred to the University of Arizona. I got deeply involved in planetary research there—building digital terrain models for the Mars HiRISE instrument was a turning point. The beauty and detail in planetary data hooked me completely. Later, I was selected as an Arizona NASA Space Grant undergraduate researcher, which connected me with a mentor who encouraged me to pursue graduate school. That support changed everything.

Read the full article on: lpi.usra.edu

Image Credit: LPI

Author Credit: LPI

Original Post Date: 5.12.25

The University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources recognized outstanding educators and staff members at an annual awards banquet in Laramie recently.

“Each spring, we celebrate a few of the many exceptional faculty and staff in the college of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources. The accomplishments and unquestionable dedication of this year’s award recipients are inspiring to us all,” says Kelly Crane, dean of the college.

Staff Members Honored for Initiative, Positivity

Four staff members earned the Outstanding Staff Award for their contributions to the college.

Master technician David Claypool has worked for UW for over three decades. Claypool is dependable and takes initiative in high-stress situations.

“He leads by quiet example and has a tremendous work ethic,” says Andrew Kniss, head of the Department of Plant Sciences.

Nominators also note Claypool’s technical innovation, institutional and scientific knowledge, and willingness to share his expertise with others. He mentored undergraduate students Bree Drew and Sawyer Zook, who earned Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium Fellowships in 2024.

Read the full article on: UWYO.edu

Author Credit: University of Wyoming | News

Original Post Date: 5.13.25

Kiera Charley’s educational path began with a ceremonial blessing held at her home on the Navajo reservation. Four years later, it will culminate in a graduation ceremony at a 53,000-seat stadium in Tempe.

Her journey has led her around the globe as she evolved from being a shy teenager venturing out to college into a confident young woman ready to move on to the next chapter. She is committed to pursuing her childhood aspiration of becoming a space scientist after she collects her diploma in May.

“I don’t see myself going into academia and becoming a professor,” said Charley, who is a Flinn Scholar and a member of Barrett, The Honors College, and about to obtain her bachelor’s degree in astrobiology. “I want to be more involved in research as a scientist whether that’s working for NASA or a private company. I’ve also been looking into a position as a full-time researcher at an observatory.”

Getting to this launchpad for a new life has taken a lot of effort.

Charley, a resident of Many Farms, Arizona, located approximately 15 miles north of Chinle, said her interest in the solar system was sparked early in her life during a visit to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. She noted that Many Farms offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the night sky, allowing for an exceptional stargazing experience.

“My ancestors were always discussing the constellation, their creation and also their significance of how they can guide you,” Charley said.

Read the full article on ASU.edu

Author Credit:  Marshall Terrill 

Image Credit: Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News

Original Post Date: 5.1.25

Arizona State University student Samantha Beauchaine will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in geological sciences from the School of Earth and Space Exploration this May. It is just one step toward her ultimate goal: a career investigating complex geological processes and their real-world implications.

Her decision to pursue a degree and career in geology was not always the plan. In fact, it completely changed her life.

“I spent much of my life after high school working,” Beauchaine says. “I wasn’t ready for college and spent years trying new things in the ‘real world.’ I learned how to get a job, manage employees and grow in a company, but something was still missing.”

It wasn’t until she was offered a promotion to upper management that she finally realized what that was. She wanted to return to school full-time as a nontraditional student and pursue her childhood passion: geology.

So, Beauchaine turned down the promotion and left her hometown of St. Louis and all her loved ones to move to Arizona and follow her dream.

“As a geology major, I wanted to be surrounded by mountains, and ASU was one of the best places to be for that. I also heard great things about the geology program and the professors,” Beauchaine says.

Once she arrived at ASU, she immersed herself in her classes. Professor Steven Semken first met Beauchaine in his first-year Earth and planetary sciences majors course in 2023.

“From the start I found Sam to be an enthusiastic and very hardworking student, always posing thoughtful questions in class and just soaking up and thinking about everything we discussed and did,” Semken says. “There was no doubt of her strong passion for the geosciences.”

Full article available on: ASU.edu

Author Credit: By Gabrielle Sangervasi

Image Credit: Photo courtesy of Samantha Beauchaine

Original Post Date: 5.9.25

STEM-ology, a monthly series of themed science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) events for all ages, concludes in May at the University of Wyoming, with events including Toddler Tuesdays, Senior Science Fridays and fun-filled family Science Saturdays.

Next month’s events will have a space-ology theme and will take place in the STEM Sandbox on the fourth floor of the Science Initiative Building, located on the corner of Ninth and Bradley streets.

“We are bringing STEM to life with engaging, hands-on experiences for all ages. Programs are designed to spark curiosity, inspire creativity and make science, technology, engineering and math fun and interactive,” says Ashleigh Pilkerton, community engagement and undergraduate research programming coordinator for UW Science Initiative programs. “STEM-ology activities are a collaborative effort among many groups on the University of Wyoming campus, including the Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium Science Kitchen and Science Initiative Roadshow.”

Read the full article on: www.uwyo.edu

Author Credit: University of Wyoming | Institutional Communications

Original Post Date: 4.28.25

Jocelyn Schechter, a BS/MS student in aerospace engineering, was selected for the Ohio Space Grant Consortium Master’s Fellowship, which is administered by NASA. Awards to master’s students for the academic year are $23,400 in addition to tuition waivers.

Fellows complete a STEM-related research project that is in alignment with at least one of NASA’s five directorates.

Read the full article on thedaily.case.edu

Author Credit: The Daily | Case Western Reserve University

Original Post Date: April 4, 2025