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People Director of center, professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy Associate director of center; distinguished teaching professor, Delano’s research seeks to understand the environment of the very early Earth, in the first few hundred million years after its formation, and how this environment influenced the emergence of sustainable life on our planet. He studies the history of impacts on Earth from comets, asteroids, and other forms of interplanetary debris from space. Large crater-forming impacts would have been an impediment to the origin and sustainability of life, but smaller bodies may have transported key chemical elements, water and organic molecules to Earth, leading to the formation of the atmosphere, oceans and biosphere. Because the impact record on Earth is destroyed over time by weathering, volcanism, and tectonic movement of the crust, the nearby Moon is studied as a valuable proxy: much of its ancient surface remains virtually undisturbed. Delano investigates the chemical composition and chronology of glasses from the Moon that were produced by the extreme heat and pressure of impact. Results enable the impact history of the Moon (and hence the Earth) to be determined. Professor, department of earth sciences; director of the Syracuse University Noble Gas Isotope Research Laboratory Baldwin’s research investigates thermal histories preserved as isotopic variations in minerals. Along with mineral compositions and textures, thermal histories preserved in minerals can be used to determine how the Earth and Moon have changed over time. Diffusion experiments on lunar-analog compositions will be undertaken to determine the diffusion systematics of Argon in lunar impact glasses as a function of chemical composition, as these bear directly on the acquisition and interpretation of glass formation ages, and hence upon accurate characterization of the impact history of the Earth-Moon system. Clinical assistant professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy Ciolek uses computer algorithms to model the formation of stars, and, in collaboration with Professor Roberge, the development and motion of shock waves in space. His simulations reveal how interstellar gas and dust transforms into stars and solar systems, often modeling the physical process using the computer processing power of a simple desktop computer. These theoretical model predictions can be tested by astronomers around the world, using observations from existing space telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and in the future by NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. Using the power of mathematics and computers, his work may greatly speed the process of discovering and understanding the formation of environments favorable to life in the universe. Research professor, department of chemistry and chemical biology Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor, space studies William Weightman Walker professor, head of the department of chemistry and chemical biology McGown is a chemist with expertise in the analysis of biomaterials. Within the center, her lab works to determine the nature and biological significance of the molecules formed by the interactions in deep space and deep Earth. In particular, her research looks for plausible chemical reactions that may have converted simple organic materials and interstellar substances delivered by comets and meteorites to life. Her lab employs static and dynamic fluorescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopies, capillary electrophoresis and electrochromatography, and MALDI-mass spectrometry. Professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy Roberge is a theoretical astrophysicist who studies how shock waves – violent events associated with the birth of stars and planets – may have affected the initial “inventory” of chemicals that formed terrestrial life. He uses supercomputer simulations and mathematical analysis to produce theoretical models of shock waves in the early solar system. He also models shock waves in “protoplanetary disks” where the formation of extrasolar planets is presumably ongoing. The validity of these models will be tested using observations by observatories on the ground and in space, including NASA missions such as the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Professor of planetary sciences Professor Swindle uses measurements of the noble gases in extraterrestrial materials (lunar samples and meteorites) to study the chronology of the solar system. His research projects include determining the ages of impact craters, studying Martian meteorites to understand the history of the Martian atmosphere and its interaction with surface materials, and investigating the timing of the formation of the earliest solids in the solar nebula. He is also developing techniques to use instruments on spacecraft to measure ages of planetary surfaces in situ. Institute professor of science Watson is a geochemist whose research focuses on chemical and material composition of materials in the deep Earth. His lab investigates the chemical composition and materials present in these regions and the ways in which these have changed over geologic time through volcanic activity and other processes. To do this, he mimics the extreme heat and pressure of the deep Earth within his lab. His origins of life research seeks to explore the early atmosphere and environment of the Earth by studying ancient minerals — especially zircon crystals — that have survived for more than 4 billion years. These minerals provide a chemical memory of conditions at the time of their formation, providing the earliest evidence for oceans on our planet, and a measure of the oxidation state of the atmosphere. The composition of the early atmosphere is a key issue in research on the origins of life as it controls the rate at which organic molecules can be synthesized.
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