Education
Michelle Thompson, Assistant Professor of Planetary Sciences, looks at the building blocks of life in samples and dust from asteroids, comets, and meteorites. She tells us some clues to knowing if a rock is or is not a meteorite. Did you know that you can volunteer to go to Antarctica to search for meteorites for research? Michelle discusses what asteroids are and where they come from, the ‘new moon’ that the Earth has “friended”, and her career path which led to researching Planetary Science. Her recommendations to students include seeking out research opportunities and to “make them tell you no”. Several weeks ago, Michelle became one of the first 20 people in the world to examine and analyze a sample that was brought back from an Apollo mission.