New and exciting activities in the
McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences
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Recent News from McDonnell Center Fellows
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Catherine Johnson named next director of the
McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences
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Catherine Johnson, a leading planetary scientist at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, will be the next director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences.
Johnson and fellow scientist Mark Jellinek, her husband and longtime colleague at UBC, will also join the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (EEPS) in Arts & Sciences as professors beginning March 1. Jellinek is a geophysicist whose research focuses on volcanic eruption dynamics and their consequences for climate variability and how planetary interiors, climates, and landscapes evolve.
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Chun Huang recognized for graduate research excellence
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Physics graduate student Chun Huang has received the 2026 Dean’s Award for Graduate Research Excellence from Washington University in St. Louis’ Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences.
The award recognizes outstanding graduate student achievements in research, scholarship, and creative practice.
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‘Up and Atom!’: WashU Satellite prepares for takeoff
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After two years of preparation, WashU Satellite is launching their first satellite into space. Formed in 2024, WashU Satellite is a completely student-run team, giving undergraduates full responsibility over the satellite’s design, testing, and execution. With two upcoming launches, the group is building flight experience through testing these capabilities and inviting the WashU community along for the ride.
WashU Satellite’s first launch, AIRIS (ADAPT Incident Resolution & Imaging Subsystem), is planned for this December from McMurdo Station in Antarctica. In order to make this possible, they are working with professor James Buckley on his project designing Compton detectors to detect gamma-ray bursts.
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MCSS Postdoctoral Fellowship Opening
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MCSS is hiring two postdoctoral fellows in the broad field of space sciences. We welcome applicants with interests in Astromaterials, Cosmochemistry, or Meteoritics; Experimental, Theoretical, or Observational Astrophysics; Planetary Science; Particle and Nuclear Physics, Cosmology and Gravitation; and Earth as a Planet. In their application materials, the candidate should describe their research interests and list potential collaborators from among the faculty fellows of the MCSS.
Please share this opportunity with your research contacts and encourage qualified candidates to apply by December 5, 2026.
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Recent Publications by MCSS Fellows
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King, G. B., Chambers-Wall, G., Pastore, S., Piarulli, M., et al. (2026). Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of Zemach moments in A ≤ 9 nuclei. Physics Letters B, 882, 140962.
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Galaxies and Their Black Holes: Tracing and Harnessing a Cosmic Partnership
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Astrophysics & Space Sciences Seminar
William Brandt
Pennyslvania State University
TODAY, Friday, October 16
9:00am, Compton 241
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| Hydromechanics of Laboratory Earthquakes
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EEPS Brown Bag
Casper Graham
WashU
TODAY, Friday, October 16
Noon, Rudolph 301
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The Global Meteor Network: A World-wide Effort
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St. Louis Astronomical Society October 2026 Meeting
Tam Do
University of Western Ontario
TONIGHT, Friday, October 16
7:30pm, McDonnell 162
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What are the Laws Governing the Evolution of The Law?
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Saturday Science Lecture
James Holehouse
WashU
Saturday, October 17
10:00am, Crow 201
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| Accelerating Physics with AI
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A Scientific Discovery Workshop
Addressing Research Challenges Through
Cross-Sector Collaboration
Monday - Tuesday, October 19-20
Compton 340
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| Physics Colloquium
Eslam Khalaf
Harvard University
Wednesday, October 21
3:00pm, Compton 340
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Does It All Average Out? Impacts of Short-Term Variability in Climate and Tectonics on Long-Term Topography
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EEPS Colloquium
Adam Forte
Louisiana State University
Thursday, October 22
11:30am, Rudolph 301
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| Paradigm Shift: AI-Assisted Black Hole Analysis
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A&S Teaching Innovation Showcase
Henrik Krawczynksi
WashU
Thursday, October 22
4:00pm, Clark-Fox Forum
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| Pulsars, the Lighthouses of the Cosmos
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Saturday Science Lecture
Alex Chen
WashU
Saturday, October 24
10:00am, Crow 201
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Compiled and edited by Alison Verbeck. Have news to share? Please send it along!
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