• Chair, Earth and Planetary Sciences

Raymond Arvidson

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• Ph.D. at Brown University
• Master's Degree in Geology at Brown University
• Bachelor's Degree in Geology at Temple University

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"Dig Czar" Washington University plays key role in Mars mission June 9, 2008 -- Image courtesy of NASA The Phoenix Mars Lander on the northern Mars plains, searching for evidence of ice and water. Among the many Phoenix Mars Mission workers are Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., the WUSTL chair of earth and planetary sciences, a computer specialist and four WUSTL students. Their goal is to infer from images and other data the geological history of the landing site and to imply some theories about current and past climate on Mars. Will they find ice?

How green is their valley? Phoenix mission to Mars will search for climate clues May 21, 2008 -- Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the earth and planetary sciences department in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and a number of his student and personnel have major roles in the Phoenix mission to Mars. The space craft lands in the northern plains on May 25, 2008, and Arvidson is a key operations manager during the critical first week of operations. (Video available)

'An amazing individual' Steve Fossett memorial service at Washington University May 1 April 28, 2008 -- A memorial service for adventurer Steve Fossett, a member of Washington University's Board of Trustees and a 1968 MBA graduate of the university's Olin Business School, will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in Graham Chapel.

Dating moon rocks from the Apollo missions, and more Earth and planetary sciences, Chinese Academy, sign research agreement Sept. 24, 2007 -- David Kilper/WUSTL Photo Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor, and chair of earth and planetary sciences (left), and Dong Shuwen, Ph.D., vice president of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, sign an agreement between Arvdison's department and the Academy. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS) have signed a research agreement that will involve collaboration on a number of research thrusts, travel between the two institutions, and eventually student exchanges that could lead to some Chinese students attaining doctorates from Washington University in St. Louis. The agreement was signed Sept. 18 at a ceremony and reception held on the third floor of the Earth and Planetary Sciences building.

Mars made accessible New software enables easy access to huge Mars database Aug. 2, 2007 -- Image courtesy of NASA The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) taking pictures of Mars. A software program developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis is allowing access to planetary data and early images from the most powerful spectral camera ever sent to Mars. The information is now available on NASA's online planetary data archive.

Soft landing Undergraduate paves way for NASA Mars mission April 16, 2007 -- Tabatha Heet, a junior earth and planetary sciences major and Pathfinder student, shows Ray Arvidson, earth and planetary sciences department chair, a potential landing site for the Phoenix mission to Mars. Download Earth and planetary scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are paving the way for a smooth landing on Mars for the Phoenix Mission scheduled to launch in August this year by making sure the set-down literally is not a rocky one. A team led by Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, has been analyzing images taken from a NASA instrument to make sure that the Phoenix spacecraft lands in a spot on the Red planet's northern plains that is relatively rock-free. Video included.

Volcanoes and ice NASA spacecraft read layered clues to changes on Mars Dec. 13, 2006 -- NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona. Polar layered deposits exposed in a scarp at the head of Chasma Boreale, a large canyon on Mars. Mars climate history, recorded in ice-rich deposits near the poles, on crater-wall cliffs and ancient sand dunes, is being revealed by a trio of NASA instruments now flying over and rolling across the planet, suggest Washington University in St. Louis researchers playing key roles in the mission.

Climb every mountain Marshall Scholarship goes to Arts & Sciences senior Dec. 7, 2006 -- Jeffrey Marlow is among the 43 young Americans to receive a 2007 Marshall Scholarship, which provides full support for two or three years of study at any British university toward a second bachelor's degree or an advanced degree. Marlow, a senior in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, is WUSTL's first Marshall Scholar since 1993.

Travel to Mars with Assembly Series NASA scientist Steven Squyres to speak on Mars Rover expedition Jan. 23, 2006 -- Steven Squyres shares his passion for space exploration on Feb. 8 at the Assembly Series. He is the scientific principal investigator for NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers Project. The robotic explorers will examine Mars' rocks and soil for minerals signaling the past presence of water, and help astronomers determine whether or not there was life on the planet.

2,000 Theropod teeth Classification method gives teeth to dinosaur identification Nov. 2, 2005 -- Josh Smith compares tooth measurements of unidentified dinosaur species with those of known Tyrannosaurus specimens. A paleontologist at WUSTL has concocted a mathematical scheme for identifying dinosaurs based upon measurements of their copious Mesozoic dental droppings. His method could help paleobiologists identify and reconstruct the lives of the creatures that roamed terra firma many millions of years ago.

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The Laboratory is the location of NASA's Planetary Data System Geosciences Node and one of NASA's Regional Planetary Image Facilities. Laboratory personnelare responsible for creating and distributing science data archives from planetary missions, working closely with the missions to ensure that the archives are complete and well-documented.

Laboratory staff and graduate student research currently focuses primarily on analyses of spaceborne observations of Mars, particularly to understand how the planet has evolved and the extent to which it was habitable. The unraveling of geological processes and defining geochemical cycles of possible biological relevance form the core of the research. Remote sensing from orbital, landed, and rover-based platforms, together with development and use of quantitative approaches for modeling the data and processes are our primary tools.

Students are also actively involved in the Laboratory as a part of innovative undergraduate courses such as the Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability, in which multidisciplinary approaches to environmental problems are stressed with hands-on experience.