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| Welcome, Lisa Gaddis! | Dr. Lisa Gaddis became Director, Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) on 9 November 2020. Dr. Gaddis will provide scientific leadership and management of the research and operations of LPI and maintain and grow it as a primary research center in support of NASA’s strategic goals in planetary science and Solar System exploration. It's challenging to learn more about a person with the distance that the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed, so here's a quick Q&A with Dr. Gaddis to learn about her favorite food, favorite season of the year and more.
Q&A with Lisa Gaddis | | |
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| USRA met COVID-19-related challenges with brilliant research and adaptive ideas | The COVID-19 global pandemic presented unique and relentless challenges throughout this past year. During times when many of us might feel helpless to combat COVID-19 (beyond mask wearing and social distancing) USRA researchers were able to adapt their studies, contribute to efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and better understand its impacts on our world. Research ranges from sterilizing N-95 masks to monitoring the reduction of human-produced carbon dioxide emissions.
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| | The USRA Career Book: A Corporate Strategy and Development Story | In this “USRA Career Book” we’re telling the story of three people at different stages in their USRA career within the Corporate Strategy and Development organization: Christian Hoechst is opening the “USRA Career Book” as he is a few months into his role as Capture Manager, Program Development; Martin Ruzek is turning the page to a new chapter as he begins his role as Director, Program Development within his 27-year career at USRA; and Ant Thornton, Director for Corporate Strategy and Corporate Ombudsman, is closing the book as his retirement from USRA begins after 15 January 2021. ‘Twas the night before proposal submission and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except for USRA’s Corporate Strategy and Development organization…
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| | Time to recharge in order to combat cybercrime vulnerabilities | COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the United States and many people are experiencing “COVID fatigue” and starting to let their guard down due to the duration of the pandemic. Meanwhile, criminal actors are focused on disrupting, corrupting or otherwise creating crises for the country’s COVID response supply chain. In October, the federal government announced that there is credible information of an “increased and imminent cybercrime threat” to hospitals and healthcare providers in the United States. The COVID response supply chain expands beyond hospitals and healthcare providers and includes banks, PPE manufacturers and distributors, vaccine manufacturers and distributors, clinical trial companies, and others. Attacks to the supply chain are considered a national security threat.
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| | USRA-branded gear | USRA has a business store with Lands' End where you can buy t-shirts, hats, mugs, masks and more. You will be able to select the gear that you would like and customize it with USRA's logo and in some cases, the location where the logo might appear. Take note of the link for future purchases and note that it will also be provided in the footer of this Discovery newsletter with every issue.
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| | USRA Announces 2020 Distinguished Undergraduate Award Winners | In keeping with its goal to recognize and develop promising future scientists in space-related disciplines, USRA bestows these awards to honor outstanding undergraduate students in a variety of majors through a competitive process. These awards are granted to students who tackle challenging problems in space research and exploration, demonstrate leadership, and are poised to make significant contributions to their fields.
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| | SOFIA Science Result Featured on Cover of Nature Astronomy | The HAWC+ magnetic field results in Serpens South made the cover of the December 2020 issue of Nature Astronomy, Volume 4, Issue12, December 2020.
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| | USRA Scientist Tomohiro Oda Featured in Science Publication, Scientia | USRA’s Tomohiro Oda's work was featured in the leading science communication publication Scientia, in an article entitled “Mapping Cities’ Carbon Emissions Through Advanced Data Collection.”
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| | David Kring Interviewed by BBC Radio | USRA’s David Kring was interviewed by the BBC Radio on his work related to the Chicxulub crater. The interview will be aired as part of Roland Pease’s Science in Action Show.
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| | Galaxy Survives Black Hole's Feast--For Now | Black holes are thought to gobble up so much surrounding material that they put an end to the life of their host galaxy. In that process they create a highly energetic object called a quasar which was previously thought to halt star birth. Now researchers have found a galaxy that is surviving the ravenous forces of a quasar by continuing to birth new stars –about 100 Sun-sized stars a year.
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| | USRA's Ghassem Asrar Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science | Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Senior Vice President, Science, at Universities Space Research Association, has been named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed by AAS members by their peers.
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| | USRA scientists contribute to development of air quality monitoring application for Thailand | Universities Space Research Association (USRA) /STI scientists have collaboratively developed a web application that will help mitigate the impact of air pollution in Thailand where seasonal air pollution resulting from forest fires and agricultural burning create a major human health issues. The new app builds on existing air quality monitoring through incorporating satellite observations and model forecasts of conditions. The work was conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
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