6 months since I arrived at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and I can honestly say that on most days there have been moments like this one, filled with awe and absolute wonder! What you are seeing here is a baby red octopus at Birch Aquarium… first time hatched, raised & settled in an aquarium!
The four-astronaut crew of NASA’s Artemis II flew to the far side of the moon and set a record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by any human. https://to.pbs.org/4cf655P
I am sitting with students, postdocs, staff and faculty in front of a giant screen at Scripps Oceanography watching the launch of Artemis 2.
The launch of Artemis 2 was profoundly moving… to see humanity go FORWARD to the Moon again after more than 50 yrs! I hope another generation is inspired to go explore and discover and innovate, to be the best that humans can be — and ultimately be inspired to be better stewards of our own planet.
Me and Maria standing next to each other on the campus of Scripps Oceanography, with the beautiful backdrop of the ocean, Scripps Pier, and the La Jolla cove.
It was an honor to welcome UC Regent Maria Anguiano to our @scrippsocean.bsky.social campus where she saw the incredible work being done here, including the impactful work at the Tijuana river, robotic exploration of the ocean, and AI-driven visualization of coral reefs for conservation efforts.
Me in front of the state capitol in Sacramento, CA
With CA Senator Blakespear in her office
With CA Assembly member Tasha Boerner in her office
With CA Assembly Member Steve Bennett in his office
Incredible couple of days in Sacramento meeting with our CA representatives. Hope to strengthen @scrippsocean.bsky.social partnerships to increase our coastal, water, and wildfire resilience and to support the health and wellbeing of communities in our great state of California (and the planet!).
So #OSM26 in Glasgow is off to a great start with a fantastic plenary talk by Britney Schmidt— Icefin is so cool! Makes me wish for the day we will have such a robotic oceanographer in the ocean on Europa.
We are looking for innovative and broad-thinking faculty colleagues to join us in understanding and protecting our planet! (And stay tuned for more faculty opportunities to come in the near future…)
apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04460
Congratulations to @helen-amanda.bsky.social and her team for the selection of the EDGE mission as @ucsandiego.bsky.social’s first PI-led NASA mission! today.ucsd.edu/story/uc-san...
Congratulations to Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Prof. Veerabhadran Ramanathan! I got to know Ram after arriving at Scripps (unfortunately do not overlap with him at U Chicago), and just love how he is still so energized and motivated by his science.
Is that lumpfish the cutest thing you ever saw?! Got to shake hands with an octopus (I know I’ll be visiting him frequently!) and see some incredible things at our experimental aquarium facilities — just another day here @scrippsocean.bsky.social
Heading home after a few days in Davos. Grateful for the opportunity to talk about the ocean, climate and sustainability, space and exploration with leaders from so many different sectors.
Today marks exactly 100 days since I joined @scrippsocean.bsky.social @ucsandiego.bsky.social. It felt like a bit of a celebration to walk on Scripps’ campus today and feel moved by all the incredible science-inspired art works that are like little gems tucked in unexpected places!
Sunset view of a beach in La Jolla, California, with orange hues reflected in the water and a row of clouds near the horizon.
First sunset from my office @scrippsocean.bsky.social @ucsandiego.bsky.social at the start of Winter Quarter. Here’s to a year of chasing new and amazing discoveries just beyond the horizon and finding magic in everyday moments. Happy New Year!
This week’s absolute highlight was a tour of @scrippsocean.bsky.social’s RV Sally Ride - with @astrodocscott.bsky.social who operated Sally Ride’s KidSat payload on STS-86. This research vessel is a scientific & technological marvel, enabling tremendous ocean & seafloor measurements and sampling!
View of the Scripps Pier at dusk, with festive lights along the length of the pier.
Me and my husband standing on either side of seated Santa in front of an image of Scripps Pier at the Birch Aquarium.
Santa diving in a tank with kelp at the Birch Aquarium.
Spotted Santa delivering presents underwater @birchaquarium.bsky.social yesterday. Happy holidays from @scrippsocean.bsky.social!
Halloween celebrations @scrippsocean.bsky.social — ghosts, cool canines and a new variety of dogfish!
My first 3 weeks on the job at @scrippsocean.bsky.social @ucsandiego.bsky.social have flown by - learning about the amazing people who work here (including those pictured here from our world-class scientific diving program and ship operations) and the amazing things that we do here.
I think I met my first native San Diegan today @birchaquarium.bsky.social … a gorgeous rosy boa! Also met Rusty, a handsome bearded dragon. Birch is a truly magical place.
#ICYMI, we shared some big news this week! 🎉 Scripps Institution of Oceanography at @ucsandiego.bsky.social is proud to welcome esteemed Earth and planetary scientist Meenakshi Wadhwa as the 12th director of our institution. 🪐 Hear directly from Dr. Wadhwa in this video: youtu.be/lbFLXM6BBbI?...
So excited to be here to serve the @scrippsocean.bsky.social community, and advance our mission to understand and protect our planet!
The neo-Gothic facade of the church of Sagrada Família in Barcelona
Ceiling of church of Sagrada Família
Inside the main entrance of Gaudi’s La Pedrera (Casa Milà)
On the rooftop of Gaudi’s La Pedrera (Casa Mila)
Amazed by Gaudi’s city…
Tantalizing— but needs confirmation through careful analyses in laboratories in Earth. This is why we must bring back the samples that Perseverance has so carefully documented and collected!
YES!!
View looking up from the base of Burj Khalifa
View from the top of Burj Khalifa of Dubai at night, tall buildings and city lights
View of the very futuristic oval-shaped Museum of the Future at night.
View of the “human waterfall” in the Dubai Mall.
Dubai at night… including amazing views of and from the top of Burj Khalifa!
A monstrously huge dust storm behind a building, with a pool in the foreground.
Picture of me (on left) and my husband (on right), with Pinnacle Peak (North Scottsdale) in the background on left side.
Beautiful flower arrangement (orange roses, pink tulips, eucalyptus leaves…) on desk in my office. Windows in the background look towards the Superstition Mountains.
A large rectangular sheet cake depicting a sunset view (yellow-orange skies) on a beach — ocean and waves on the right, sand & a plan tree & orange flowers on left.
Snapshots from a memorable penultimate week in AZ… (picture of the Haboob courtesy of @astrodocscott.bsky.social & that of the gorgeous cake thanks to Kim Baptista)!
Me cutting a beautiful cake decorated with an ocean and sunset, with a party in the backdrop.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to thank my long-time AZ friends and colleagues @seseasu.bsky.social for the many wonderful years of camaraderie, collaborations, and friendship I’ve enjoyed here. Definitely one of my best career and life decisions to come here 19+ years ago!
SPHEREx discovered a bright CO2 coma (the extended gaseous atmosphere of a comet) surrounding 3I/ATLAS. It extends out to at least 348,000 km. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
SPHEREx Discovers Extended Carbon Dioxide Coma in Interstellar Object 3I-ATLAS
spherex.caltech.edu/news/3i-atla... #SPHEREx #3IATLAS 🧪🔭
Three views of a work of art called “Fallen Star” on the campus of UCSD by artist Do Ho Suh: a cottage perched on top of a building, with over half its base hanging off the building.
Surprised and delighted to come across this earlier this week… art transforms the mundane into magic and proves that delight can often hide in plain sight. #FallenStar
Two views of the Sun setting over Tempe Town Lake - brilliant orange colors and some clouds.
Soaking in another AZ sunset.
