Friday, July 31, 2026

The MCSS Messenger

New and exciting activities in the
McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences

Recent News From McDonnell Center Fellows

WashU astronomers selected for four NASA Roman Cycle 1 programs

Illustration of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Several members of the AstroMusers research group in Physics and MCSS have been selected to play major roles in four Cycle 1 General Investigator programs for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The proposals span research in cosmology and exoplanets and were among 118 programs selected from 374 submissions in Roman's inaugural Cycle 1 competition.

Graduate students share advice with summer researchers

Current graduate students shared advice on applying to graduate school and life as a PhD student during a July 30 panel discussion hosted by MCSS. Undergraduates participating in Physics and EEPS summer research programs asked questions about admissions, choosing advisors, and the transition to graduate school.

Thank you to Alex Chen for organizing the panel.

Participants in the grad panel discussion

Recent Publications by McDonnell Center Fellows

Detoito, A. G., & Krawczynski, H. (2026). Galactic Electron–Positron Annihilation Emission from X-Ray Binaries with Transient and Persistent Jets. The Astrophysical Journal, 1006(1), 108.

Saha, S., Daylan, T., et al. (2026). Glossy silicate clouds on the scorched dayside of LTT9779b. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 1005(2), L79.

Murphy, K. D., & Nowak, M. A. (2026). Narrow line structure in the Chandra-HETG spectra of NGC 3227. The Astrophysical Journal, 1006(1), 44.

Manelski, H. T., Gillis, J., Jolliff, B. L., et al. (2026). LIBS Elemental Mapping of a feldspathic lunar Meteorite: Insights for in situ Exploration. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, 131(7).

Figueiredo, E., Mehlhaff, J., et al. (2026). Emergence of cyclic flux eruptions in kinetic simulations of magnetized spherical accretion onto a Schwarzschild black hole. Astronomy and Astrophysics, 711, A230.

Dev, P. S. B., et al. (2026). Opening up new parameter space for sterile neutrino dark matter. Physical Review. D/Physical Review. D., 114(1).

Ela, E., Couvy, H., Cross, A. J., & Skemer, P. (2026). Compositional controls on mylonite formation. Tectonophysics, 936, 231312.

Hu, K., Rackers, N., & Chen, A. Y. (2026). Resonant inverse compton scattering and hard X-Ray emission in magnetar magnetospheres. The Astrophysical Journal, 1006(1), 23.

Eagle, J., Errando, M., Iskakova, M., Rabinowitz, P.L., (2026). A multiwavelength interpretation of HESS J1857+026 emission using the Fermi-LAT, VERITAS, and HAWC observatories. The Astrophysical Journal, 1005(2), 208.

Acharyya, A., Errando, M., Hughes, Z., Iskakova, M., Rabinowitz, P., et al. (2026). The Exceptional 2017 γ-Ray Flare of the Radio Galaxy NGC 1275: VERITAS and Multiwavelength Observations. The Astrophysical Journal, 1006(1), 12.

King, G. B., Flores, A. R., Pastore, S., Piarulli, M., et al. (2026). Quantum Monte Carlo calculation of δ_NS in ¹⁰C using an effective field theory approach. Physical Review C, 114(1).

Follingstad, V. M., Michaelides, R. J., Meng, T. M., et al. (2026). Quantifying the surface deformation of pingos on the Alaskan North Slope using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (INSAR). Permafrost and Periglacial Processes.

Jain, C., Solomatov, V. S., & McKinnon, W. B. (2026b). Numerical determination of the nonlinear convection threshold in nitrogen ice: Application to the margins of the cellular plains in Sputnik Planitia, Pluto. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 378, 107588.

Upcoming Events

Summer Undergraduate
Research Poster Session

Hosted by the Department of Physics
Undergraduate students conducting summer research in Physics & EEPS are invited to participate
Thursday, August 6
11:00am - 1:00pm, Compton 340

View Event

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McDonnell Center Contacts

Interim Director: William McKinnon
Associate Director: Michael Nowak
Assistant to the Director: Vickie Gee
Communications Specialist: Alison Verbeck

Compiled and edited by Alison Verbeck. Please send any contributions to alison@wustl.edu.

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