Keynote Address: Thursday, March 28th @ 3:30pm in JHN 102

A little history of our speaker: 

Dr. Carol Paty is a planetary and space physicist specializing in planetary magnetospheres, moon-magnetosphere interactions, and icy moon interiors. A Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon, she is a co-investigator on NASA’s Europa Clipper mission and ESA's Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE), contributing to the exploration of the outer solar system. She has played a key role in advancing mission strategies for Uranus and the Neptune-Triton system, including work on the Trident and Neptune Odyssey planetary mission concept studies.

Beyond her research, Dr. Paty has been deeply engaged in shaping the future of planetary science, serving on the steering committee of the Outer Planets Assessment Group and as a panelist for the National Academies' Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. Prior to her tenure at Oregon, she spent a decade at Georgia Tech, where she helped establish the Center for Space Technology and Research.

Dr. Paty earned her Ph.D. in Earth & Space Sciences from the University of Washington in 2006 and her B.A. in Physics & Astronomy from Bryn Mawr College. She continues to inspire students and researchers through her teaching, mentorship, and contributions to planetary exploration.

Title: Ascent to Europa: A Journey to Jupiter's Ocean Moon 

Abstract: 

Beginning with Galileo Galilei in 1610, the Jovian system of worlds has inspired us and provided a rich environment for paradigm change and discovery. Nearly 415 years from Galileo's discovery of the Jovian moons, we are poised to explore mysteries of Europa.

NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft launched in October 2024, with the goal of exploring Jupiter's moon Europa to understand its habitability. This robotic explorer will enter Jupiter orbit in April 2030, and, beginning March 2031, it will collect science data while flying past Europa 49 times. The mission will investigate Europa's habitability by studying its interior, composition, and geology, and will search for and characterize any current geologic activity including possible plumes. In this lecture, I'll discuss the mission's science objectives and how they will be addressed using an advanced suite of complementary remote sensing and in-situ instruments onboard Europa Clipper. From the short wavelengths of the ultraviolet to long wavelengths of radio, to a variety of compositional analysis techniques, to magnetic sounding of the interior, the diverse set of observations these instruments and investigations provide will paint a comprehensive picture of Europa's habitability and what lies beneath its frozen exterior.