Kris at her defense, wearing a light blue suit, standing in front of her dissertation title slide which has images of Mars and the Moon on it. The dissertation title is "Exploring Volatile Mass Balance Under a Variety of Conditions through Observations and Modeling on the Moon and Mars."

Ali and Kris standing together on her defense day.

Kris hanging her decorated globe from the ceiling of the lab, per the research group post-defense tradition.

Kris defended her PhD a couple weeks ago, and it's been a blast exploring ice processes - big and small, short and long - across different parts of the Solar System together! I'm so proud of her and all she has accomplished and know she's destined to continue doing great things! Congrats Kris!!!

Ali putting the doctoral hood onto Kris on the graduation stage as deans and other folks in their fancy regalia look on.

Ali and Kris standing in graduation regalia in front of the fountain on Purdue's campus, with the iconic bell tower in the backdrop.

I am so honored to participate in the doctoral hooding ceremony of Dr. @krislaferriere.bsky.social today! Kris helped me kick off our research group here at Purdue 5 yrs ago, and is now moving on to be a postdoctoral scholar at the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida! 🥳🚀🪐☄️

If the US focuses exclusively on the “hot” science of today, it will be completely unprepared for the science and technology challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

Meanwhile, other countries will happily take the lead.

(🧵3/3)

Google Maps is significantly worse (both on the phone itself and in CarPlay). I’ve been fine with Gmail, photos, and everything else.

Amazing!!! 🤩 You’re going to make an amazing professor, and your future students are lucky to have you! 🧑‍🏫🪐💫☄️

A green polo with the USGS logo is being hung up. A string of flowers is woven in the button holes. The shirt is hung up on the bulletin board.

USGS Folks can’t be at #LPSC2025 and someone hung up a shirt with a flower as a memorial of sorts. We’re already feeling the loss of their presence and a bunch of other members of the community who can’t be here for a myriad of reasons.

Mike was just telling me the other day how he was excited for LPSC and “looking forward to the daily ritual of running into Szilard at Blue Door” haha ☕️

Just got an email from the Fulbright Association. As of right now, funding has been cut off to 12,500 US citizens currently abroad and and more than 7,400 foreigner scholars and students in the United States

I once wrote a short story about a planetary robot that cost billions and took years, only to reach its destination, turn around and phone home, but no one was left to listen, to understand, to interpret its discoveries.

I thought I was joking.

**There’s no commercial equivalent to NASA science.**

Many companies—like ALL of these commercial lunar landers—survive out of NASA science.

If enacted, this would cede United States leadership in space science (primarily to China).

**This would end space science as we know it.**

I’d probably be out of a job.

Successful ongoing missions would be turned off.

Future missions would be axed.

Some research centers (NASA & non-NASA) would likely dissolve.

Alas it looks like I won’t be releasing to org til tomorrow. 😬
Definitely looking forward to the feeling of relief of submission! 😴 Best wishes to you and your team!!!

Yay!!!! Looking forward to seeing all of ya’lls awesome science!!! 🪐🌖🛰️🚀

This administration is literally destroying US science.

The NSF REU program is a foundational pathway for building the next generation science workforce. I say as an REU alum.

In thinking about mental health and wellness, we want to recognize other groups under persecution as well: people who are transgender/nonbinary, have disabilities, don‘t have documentation, people of color, and others. Take care of yourselves, find your communities, be allies and support each other.

Forgetting the sour cream in my burrito bowl is a mistake.

Destroying our infectious disease response infrastructure is malpractice.

We are being run by willfully incompetent people who are counting on us being stupid.

Next stop for Europa Clipper: Mars??? That’s right, we are doing a rare Mars gravity assist on March 1st to help pick up speed on our journey out to the Jupiter system. More info and cool animations below!

Featured Image: How Do You Solve a Problem like (Lunar) Maria? Researchers explore the use of machine-learning techniques for classifying maria, cryptomaria, and plains regions on the surface of the Moon.

Researchers explore the use of machine-learning techniques for classifying maria, cryptomaria, and plains regions on the surface of the Moon. aasnova.org/2025/02/24/f... 🔭🧪

Federal science agencies are under threat. AGU has made it easy to advocate for NSF, NOAA, NASA and more. Visit AGU’s Science Policy Action Center to stand up for science.

fromtheprow.agu.org/standing-tog...

Yosemite halts camping reservations, with no timetable for their return Yosemite halts camping reservations, with no timetable for their return at a time when federal employees are being laid off

Want to go visit the national parks this year?
Sorry.
The reservation system is shut down, EMT personnel are gone, so don't get hurt or lost. No one can clean the bathrooms or cabins, so they'll be closed. Rangers are fired.

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Government’s wins are often invisible: Systems that avoid plane crashes; alliances that avert war; surveillance that prevent pandemics.

Government wins are often *the avoidance of loss.*

So how do we tell the story of the destruction of government? The story of future losses *not* averted?

Group photo on the ice rink with trees in the background

Fun morning ice skating with the Purdue EAPS department! 🥰⛸️❄️🏒

Ahhh!! Congrats Dr. Louden!!!!!!!! 🎉

Flyer for the B4PhD program, which stands for "Bridge for Pursuing Higher Degrees". It features cute cartoons of astronauts, molecules, equations, and Purdue's bell tower. The contents say: The Purdue University College of Science invites prospective graduate students to join us for a free and online mentoring program designed to help you prepare for graduate school—from the application process, to becoming a grad student, to thriving on your way to your graduate degree. If you are a US citizen or permanent resident graduating with your undergraduate degree in Science or Math in May 2026 or later, you’re eligible to join as a Bridge for Pursuing Higher Degree (B4PhD) Scholar. Learn more at: https://purduesci.com/b4phd

Are you an undergraduate student thinking about graduate school in the sciences? Consider applying to Purdue's new B4PhD Program! This is a free, online mentoring program designed to help you prepare for graduate school.

More information and link to application here:
www.purdue.edu/science/grad...

Howard University

Howard University is officially reclassified as an R1!!!! Remaining the only HBCU to have this status.

carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/institution/...

Taking a moment to breathe and watch the pearly clouds go by (on Mars).

www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...

not paying indirect costs for research is like only paying the players in the Super Bowl.

can't have a Super Bowl without coaches, referees, security, janitors, announcers, stadium staff, and a stadium - and you can't have research without supporting people and facilities

USAID doesn’t just support overseas work. UCAR COMET, who are hosting my sabbatical, get a big portion of their funding from USAID. This funding employs US people to develop training geoscience materials, free for anyone, incl. in the US, to use. Defunding USAID hurts the US, too. www.comet.ucar.edu

This framing is their framing, and NYT took the bait. The correct and accurate framing is: “Deep cuts to medical research threatens progress on cancer and heart disease research, costs the economy $80B, and threatens 300,000 jobs across red and blue states”

Whenever you hear someone sneer about scientific research that seems useless to them — “they’re studying the spit of lizards?!” — remind them that’s exactly how we got Ozempic.

globalnews.ca/news/9793403...