Tuesday, April 11, 2017

By Nicholas Snow

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is proud to present its 22nd annual departmental symposium and poster session in conjunction with the Petersheim Academic Exposition on Tuesday evening April 18, 2017.

The symposium will include a lecture in the Rose Mercadante Seminar Series by Dr. Melissa G. Trainer of the Robert Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration entitled "Chemistry on Mars: The Search for Habitable Environments with Curiosity" at 5:45 PM in the Helen Lerner Amphitheater, McNulty Hall, Science and Technology Center, Seton Hall University.

Following the lecture, a poster session featuring the research of 50 undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will be held at 7:00 PM in the Mary Ann and Pat Murray Atrium in McNulty Hall. All members of the University Community and friends of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are welcome to attend the lecture and poster session.

Following on decades of exploration of Mars, our knowledge of our neighboring planet has advanced well beyond observations of canals to the comprehensive characterization of surface topology and regional mineralogy. There are clear lines of evidence for past liquid water and a complex climate history. Yet some of the fundamental questions remain: Was there ever life on Mars? Could there have been life on Mars? The Curiosity rover carries the most advanced analytical laboratory sent to another planet, and over the past four and half years the mission has performed a detailed in situ investigation of Gale Crater. The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite in particular has quantified geochemical indicators that demonstrate the environment could have supported life, and has achieved detection of the first organic molecules on Mars. Atmospheric measurements by SAM have identified signatures of planetary change over billions of years and monitored modern activity. This presentation will recount the most important findings on the chemistry of Mars to date, and will discuss the implications for our understanding of whether the red planet was ever habitable.

Dr. Trainer is a Research Space Scientist in the Planetary Environments Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, with research interests in the composition of planetary atmospheres and the production of organic organic molecules and aerosols via atmospheric synthesis.

Dr. Trainer has spent more than a decade characterizing the properties of Titan and early Earth aerosol analogs. Her publications on this topic include chemical, optical, and isotopic characterizations of these analogs produced via electric discharge and photochemical irradiation, with recent emphasis on the elemental composition, nitrogen activation, and the influence of trace species such as benzene.

Dr. Trainer is a science team member on the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) experiment aboard the Mars Science Laboratory Mission's Curiosity Rover, with a focus on the compositional measurements of the Mars atmosphere. She has led the campaign to conduct the first in situ multi-year study of the seasonal variations of the composition of the Mars atmosphere through surface mass spectrometry measurements. She also worked with the SAM team to make the first measurements of the full suite of xenon isotopes in the Mars atmosphere as well as the inventory of other noble gases.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers BS, MS and PhD degrees with specializations in all areas of chemistry. Our unique research environment, including traditional full-time students and part-time students is designed to foster collaborations with industry and colleagues in other disciplines. The Rose Mercadante Seminar Series is named for Rose Mercadante, the departmental secretary for over 40 years, in honor of our alumni, her "boys and girls".

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Chemistry and Biochemistry Symposium to Feature NASA Speaker and Poster Session - Seton Hall University News & Events