UH Hilo astronomy student receives NASA travel grant to present his Mars research at international event
In addition to his scientific studies, student Jeffrey Kromer also is an author of fiction under pen name Raven Daegmorgan. In a creative mix of his majors (astronomy and English), Kromer will present his scientific work under his pen name at the 8th International Planetary Dunes Workshop in Italy.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
A University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo astronomy student is the recipient of a travel grant from the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab to attend the 8th International Planetary Dunes Workshop next month in Alghero, Sardinia, Italy. The award is a national competitive award for graduate and undergraduate students.
Jeffrey “Raven” Kromer, a senior double majoring in physics and astronomy and English, has also been selected to participate in a 10-week NASA internship program divided between time in a physics lab at Johns Hopkins in Maryland and a NASA research center in California.
In addition, earlier this year, the Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium awarded Kromer a grant to study dwarf galaxies under the mentorship of Nicole Drakos, a UH Hilo assistant professor of physics and astronomy. Kromer’s project, “Stellar Dynamics of Dwarf Galaxies as a Test for Dark Matter,” addresses problems in cosmic structure formation, where simulations of small dark matter halos conflict with observations of dwarf galaxies.
“These opportunities really speak to my dream of one day being able to work for NASA on their amazing exploration projects, and thanks to my mentors and everyone here at UH Hilo, I’m getting to do that right now,” says Kromer.
Presenting his scientific research at international conference in Italy
In addition to his scientific studies, Kromer also is an author of fiction under his pen name Raven Daegmorgan. In a creative mix of his majors (astronomy and English), it’s under that pen name that he will present his scientific work, “Visual Comparison of Morphologies of Martian Basaltic Sand Dunes with Terrestrial Basaltic Sand Dunes,” at the 8th International Planetary Dunes Workshop to be held in Italy, May 19-22.
According to the workshop’s website, the purpose of the event is to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of new ideas and approaches to the investigation of aeolian processes that form and maintain dune fields on Earth, underwater, and on other planetary bodies within the solar system. Kromer’s work compares basaltic sand grains from several locations on Hawaiʻi Island with Mars data from rovers and satellite imagery.
“Since both Hawaiʻi and Mars are volcanic, this island’s geology makes a high-fidelity science analog with the Martian surface,” says Kromer. “Dunes have been detected on the rocky planets Venus and Mars and are thought to give insights on atmospheric conditions and climate history.”
Kromer is being mentored and supported by UH Hilo faculty John Hamilton, an affiliate professor of physics and astronomy; Steve Lundblad, a professor of geology; and Meghann Decker, an education specialist in the geology department.
“I was very surprised and honored to have received the grant from JPL, and we’ve been working hard to make sure I can take advantage of the opportunity,” Kromer says. “I’ve never been outside the U.S. before so beyond being able to meet and interact with international peers and leaders in planetary science, I’ll have the chance to experience a whole new culture and city in an entirely different part of the world.”
“I’m also considering continuing this research next year as a larger project, expanding the locations to include more varied environments,” he adds.
Internship at Johns Hopkins and NASA research center
In a separate award, Kromer also was selected to participate in NASA’s Europa ICONS (Inspiring Clipper Opportunities for Next-generation Scientists) internship program, which will be divided between Johns Hopkins Advanced Physics Laboratory in Maryland and NASA AMES research center in California.
The 10-week summer internship will bring together members of the Europa Clipper mission with undergraduate students to conduct original scientific research. Europa Clipper is the first mission designed to conduct a detailed study of Jupiter’s moon Europa to discover if it can support life.
“I’m very excited about it,” says Kromer. “This mission is a huge deal. We’re going to learn things from it that we’ll still be studying 20 or 30 years from now. It’s an amazing and wonderful opportunity to be part of that exploration.”
See also UH Hilo media release.
Story by Susan Enright, public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
