In search of a way to identify minerals and mineral mixtures using convolutional neural networks (CNNs), with the intent of deploying this technology onboard future NASA Mars rovers such as the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover at Gale Crater or the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover headed to Jezero Crater, Mars.

Collaborators: Quentin Williams (Raman Spectroscopy), Nathan Temiquel (Machine Learning and Programming)

Systematic, high quality X-ray diffraction patterns and activation energy calculations of perchlorate deliquescence using Mars analogue soil mixtures. We introduce the use of realistic, mineralogically accurate, analogues beyond the traditional pure mineral powder experiments.

Collaborators: Thomas Bristow (Mars Mineralogy and Chemistry), Quentin Williams (Mineral Physics and Mineralogy)

Combining novel spectroscopic techniques to quantify crystal orientation in Raman spectra to infer broader planetary surface scale geological processes.

Collaborators: Quentin Williams (Mineral Physics and Mineralogy), Thomas Bristow (Mars Mineralogy and Chemistry)

UC Santa Cruz GEOPATHS is an NSF-supported initiative to improve student success in the Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) department, driven by a national initiative to broaden participation in the geosciences.

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