Thesis Defense by Ben McGee on April 26th
Space Studies master’s student, Ben McGee, will defend his M.S. thesis on Thursday, April 26th. All Space Studies students and faculty are encouraged to attend.
When: Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. (Central Daylight Savings Time)
Where: Ryan Hall, Room 111
Title: “DETERMINING THE CORRELATION SIGNIFICANCE BETWEEN S-TYPE ASTEROID ORBITAL INCLINATION AND ALBEDO ATTRIBUTABLE TO SPACE WEATHERING”
About the topic: Conflicting expressions of “space weathering” persist on airless bodies of similar composition and distance from the Sun, much to the consternation of asteroid researchers. However, several clues offered by recent research suggest that the damage caused to mineral surfaces by solar wind (ionizing radiation) may drive the overall darkening (lowered albedo) effects of space weathering. In this light, a suite of novel statistical analyses were performed on the orbital parameters and albedos of a subset of near-Earth, S-type asteroids. Results indicating a statistically-significant relationship were produced, and implications for the understanding of space weathering as a dynamic process will be discussed.
About the presenter: Ben is a senior scientist and emergency responder serving multiple roles with Mission Support and Test Services, LLC, the prime contractor managing the Nevada National Security Site. Prior to this, he served as a radiological engineer and human factors project manager for the BEAM and B330 spacecraft at Bigelow Aerospace. He has a background in exotic sediment transport mechanisms (dust devils and anchor ice), water resources, infrared/gamma/alpha spectroscopy, and he has developed a special love for one of his more recent roles as an instructor during “crater crawls” – teaching military first-responders and specialists to identify fused silica deposits created by nuclear detonations (which happen to also be excellent analogs for asteroid impact deposits). Ben currently holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming.
******Those unable to attend in person may view the live webcast******
1) A simple live webcast will be available here.
2) Via Adobe ConnectPro. Sign in as a guest, or use your Connect-Pro log-in.