Congratulations to six graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy who successfully defended their theses in April!

University of Iowa associate professor Jasper Halekas was granted over $160,000 to further examine the surface of the moon’s magnetic field. The mission is expected to launch in 2024 for two weeks.

Kathy Kurth has been awarded the 2022 Hancher-Finkbine Staff Medallion, one of the most prestigious honors given at the University of Iowa.

Six staff members in the Department of Physics and Astronomy were honored on April 7 at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ 21st Annual Staff Recognition Celebration in the Iowa Memorial Union.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) at the University of Iowa has selected associate professor Gregory Howes as a Scholar of the Year as part of its annual Discovery and Innovation awards program. 

The University of Iowa Council on Teaching has selected Arran Gross to receive the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.

Assistant Professor Tom Folland is part of an international research team that has discovered a potential new method for controlling light.

Associate Professor Jasper Halekas recently received a grant award to investigate the environment in Reiner Gamma, a strongly magnetized region of the surface of the Moon.  

NASA, via the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), awarded Halekas $160,433 for the investigation, “Lunar Vertex: Exploring the Intersection of Geoscience and Space Plasma Physics.”  Halekas is the deputy principal investigator for the investigation.  

The MAGnetometers for Innovation and Capability (MAGIC) Technology Demonstration on the TRACERS SMEX satellite mission passed its confirmation review at NASA on March 8.  Dr. Nicola Fox, Heliophysics Division Director, approved MAGIC to formally proceed into the implementation phase, which means the MAGIC team can start flight build.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy hosted President Barbara Wilson on March 9 with a tour of Van Allen Hall to highlight all the fantastic work being done by faculty, staff, graduate, and undergraduate students.