Colloquia are normally on Tuesdays at 11:00 am in the 4th-floor conference
room, except as indicated below in bold text.
Show previous colloquia
Suggest a New Speaker
For questions or suggestions for speakers, please contact
the SwRI colloquium organizers:
Raluca Rufu, 303-226-0879 or raluca(at)boulder.swri.edu
Julien Salmon, 720-208-7203 or julien(at)boulder.swri.edu
Kelsi Singer, 303-226-5910 or ksinger(at)boulder.swri.edu
Sierra Ferguson, sierra.ferguson(at)swri.org
Rogerio Deienno, rogerio.deienno(at)swri.org
Sam Van Kooten, 303-226-5909 or svankooten(at)boulder.swri.edu
To be added to the SwRI Boulder Colloquia email list, please contact Kelsi Singer, ksinger(at)boulder.swri.edu
Suggest a New Speaker HERETue Sep 10, 2024
In Room 424 + Webex | 11:00 am | George McDonald | Portland State University | Predictions for surface morphologies on the dwarf planet Haumea | |
if you want the dial in and are not on our e-mail list, please contact kelsi.singer@swri.org, thanks! | |||||
Abstract: | Despite extensive telescopic observations, and the New Horizons encounter with Pluto and Charon, much remains unknown about the surfaces of the largest Kuiper Belt Objects. Predicting the surface morphologies of these bodies is not trivial, nevertheless those bodies that sit as outliers in the physical parameter space occupied by large KBOs allow inference of certain characteristics. Haumea is one of these outliers. It is the singular, large Kuiper Belt Object that has spectroscopic observations but without any detection of volatiles. Coupled with its 3.92 hour rotation period and shape as a triaxial ellipsoid, Haumea is unique in many ways. In this talk I will consider the implication of these properties for expected surface morphologies on Haumea. Importantly, Haumea’s shape and fast rotation result in a surface gravitational acceleration that varies by almost two orders of magnitude from equator to pole. Craters may be the predominant surface feature on Haumea given the lack of volatiles, however craters on Haumea will show statistical variations in volume, morphology and ejecta thickness as a function of location on the surface. Such variations would be modulated by changes in surface gravity, a phenomenon unique among other large bodies in the solar system. George (譲治) McDonald is a Research Assistant Professor at Portland State University. His research involves theoretical predictions of the processes occurring on planetary bodies, as well as remote sensing using spacecraft instrumentation. His primary focus is on atmosphere-surface interactions in the solar system, but he has also worked on the upper atmospheres of exoplanets, as well as on bodies with tenuous atmospheres. Through work with Aeolis Research, he is currently a Collaborator on the Mars 2020 mission’s Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer and member of the Atmospheric Working Group. | ||||
Tue Sep 24, 2024
In Room 424 | 11:00 am | Ben Fernando | Christ Church College | Seismology across the Solar System: from the Moon to Mars and beyond | |
Tue Oct 1, 2024 | 11:00 am | Kiana De'Marius McFadden | Lunar and Planetary Laboratory | TBD | |
The presentation site will be updated later after our move to the new building | |||||
Tue Oct 15, 2024
In Room 424 + Webex | 11:00 am | Harrison Agrusa | Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur | TBD | |
Tue Oct 22, 2024
In Room 424 + Webex | 11:00 am | Sarah Millholland | MIT | TBD | |
Tue Oct 29, 2024
In Room 424 + Webex | 11:00 am | Benjamin Idini | UC Santa Cruz | TBD | |
Tue Nov 5, 2024
In Room 424 | 11:00 am | Thomas Gomez | TBD | ||
Wed Apr 30, 2025
In CR5+webex | 11:00 am | Andy López-Oquendo | Northern Arizona University | TBD | |
Seminar needs to be rescheduled, marking it as 2025 date as a placeholder |