Maria Zuber

Maria T. Zuber (born June 27, 1958) is an American astronomer who is a member of the National Science Board and the Vice President for Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she also holds the position of the E. A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.[1] Zuber has been involved in more than half a dozen NASA planetary missions aimed at mapping the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and several asteroids. She is currently the principal investigator for the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Mission, which is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[2]

Maria Zuber
Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
Serving with Frances Arnold
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byPosition Established
Personal details
Born (1958-06-27) June 27, 1958
Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania, Brown University
AwardsNASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
Scientific career
FieldsPlanetary Science
InstitutionsMassachusetts Institute of Technology
ThesisUnstable Deformation in Layered Media: Application to Planetary Lithospheres. (1986)
Doctoral advisorE.M. Parmentier (Brown University)

Since January 2021, Zuber servers as Co-Chair of President Joe Biden's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Early life and education

Zuber grew up in coal country in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania, one of five children of Joseph and Dolores (Stoffa) Zuber. She has three brothers, Joseph Jr., Stephen, and Andrew (1966–2018), and a sister, Joanne.[3] Both her grandfathers were coal miners and contracted black lung disease.[4]

Zuber received her B.A. in astronomy and geology from the University of Pennsylvania. She also earned Sc.M. and Ph.D. degrees, both in geophysics, from Brown University.

Career

Zuber later worked at Johns Hopkins University and served as a research scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. She joined the faculty of MIT in 1998 and was the chair of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences from 2003 to 2012.[1] She is the first woman to lead a science department at MIT.[2] Since 2012, she has been Vice President for Research at MIT.[5]

Zuber's professional focus has been on the structure and tectonics of solid solar system objects. She is a pioneer in the measurement of the shapes of the surfaces of the inner planets, and in interpreting what those shapes mean for internal structure and dynamics, thermal history, and surface-atmosphere interactions. She specializes in using gravity and laser altimetry measurements to determine interior structure and evolution. The topographic maps of Mars and the Moon produced by her laser altimeters on the Mars Global Surveyor and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft are more accurate than that of Earth. She has been a team member on 10 NASA planetary missions, including Mars Global Surveyor, Dawn, and MESSENGER.[1][6]

Zuber became interested in planetary science at an early age. A desire to spread her childhood enthusiasm was one reason why she teamed up with former astronaut Sally Ride to include in the GRAIL mission components that would capture the imagination of young students. A student contest provided the names for the mission's two spacecraft, Ebb and Flow, and students can sign up to use GRAIL's Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students (MoonKAM) instrument.[2][7]

On January 15, 2021, Zuber was appointed co-chair of President-elect Joe Biden's President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which was elevated to the Cabinet.[8]

Honors and awards

Zuber is a Fellow of the following professional societies:[1]

The asteroid 6635 Zuber, which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter,[26] is named for Zuber.[27]

Publications

List of Maria Zuber publications (PDF)

References

  1. "Maria Zuber Vitae". MIT. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  2. "Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory: Biography -- Maria Zuber". NASA. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  3. "Andrew Zuber Obituary (2018)". Times News. January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  4. "3Q: Maria Zuber, daughter of coal country". MIT News. February 27, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  5. "Maria Zuber appointed vice president for research".
  6. "MESSENGER NASA Science Update Panel Biographies". Applied Physics Laboratory. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  7. "The World We Dream - Maria Zuber Zeitgeist Americas 2012". Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  8. "Biden taps Eric Lander and Maria Zuber for senior science posts". MIT News. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  9. "The 50 Most Important Women in Science | DiscoverMagazine.com". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  10. "Geological Society of America - 2007 GK Gilbert Award - Maria T. Zuber". www.geosociety.org. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  11. Ewers, Justin. "America's Best Leaders: Fiona Harrison & Maria Zuber, NASA scientists". U.S. News and World Report. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  12. "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  13. "MIT Killian Lectures". killianlectures.mit.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  14. "In Depth | GRAIL". Solar System Exploration: NASA Science. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  15. "Harry H. Hess Medal". Honors Program. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  16. "MESSENGER". messenger.jhuapl.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  17. "National Space Society|Working to Create a Spacefaring Civilization". Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  18. "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter". lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  19. "LRO-LR Home Page". attic.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  20. Greicius, Tony (2015-02-11). "Dawn". NASA. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  21. "The Explorers Club -". www.explorers.org. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  22. April 9, Hub staff report / Published; 2015 (2015-04-09). "Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars to induct 15 new members". The Hub. Retrieved 2019-04-03.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. "SSERVI Announces 2017 Award Winners". Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  24. "2019 Prize Recipients | Division for Planetary Sciences". dps.aas.org. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  25. "Maria Zuber Awarded the 2019 Gerard P. Kuiper Prize in Planetary Sciences | MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences". eapsweb.mit.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  26. "(6635) Zuber Asteroid". Universe Guide. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  27. "MIT Scientist to Discuss "Expedition to an Asteroid" at Williams, Sept. 26". Office of Communications. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.