We are happy to announce the first recipients of the newly created Meteoritical Society Research Grants! The Meteoritical Society Research Grant is exclusively directed to students and early career researchers who are members of the Meteoritical Society. The Meteoritical Society Research Grant aims to promote collaborative research in the fields of meteoritics and planetary sciences. The grants provide funding to aid novel and interdisciplinary research ideas not yet funded elsewhere. We appreciate the many strong applications received for this opportunity, and we thank the Endowment Committee for their work creating this new initiative and for leading the selection process.
- Dr. Laura Garcia, Institute of Astronomical, Earth and Space Sciences (National Scientific and Technical Research Council - National University of San Juan, Postdoctoral Fellow
- Cliftonites formation in IAB iron meteorites as a means to understanding the genesis of non-magmatic meteorites: Campo del Cielo Argentinian meteorites are spread all over the world! However, few have these special graphite formations known as cliftonites. Their characterization through advanced techniques could provide new insights into the still-under-debate history of non-magmatic iron meteorites.
- Robin Haller, University of Glasgow, UK, PhD Student
- Laboratory experiments on terrestrial alteration of CM chondrites: Chips of the C3.00-ung Chwichiya 002 and the CM chondrite falls Murchison and Kolang have been reacted with artificial rainwater to investigate the effect of terrestrial weathering on the petrology of carbonaceous chondrites.
- Megan Hammett, University of Manchester, UK, PhD Student
- Exploring the oxygen isotope heterogeneity of melted calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions in CV carbonaceous chondrites: a combined petrologic-experimental approach: In collaboration with researchers at the University of Hawaii, this project will experimentally explore the ongoing puzzle that is the unique unequilibrated oxygen isotope pattern of primary minerals in melted CAIs from CV carbonaceous chondrites.
- Carine Sadaka, Centre Européen de Recherche et d’Enseignement en Géosciences de l’Environnement (CEREGE), France, PhD Student
- Constraining the meteorite flux on Earth during the last 2 Myr: This research studies the meteorite flux over the past two million years by focusing on two meteorite dense collection areas (DCA) in the Atacama Desert: Calama DCA and Catalina DCA. Terrestrial ages are estimated by measuring the activity concentrations of the cosmogenic nuclide 36Cl in metal grains from a random selection of meteorites in each area.
- Dr. Marian Selorm Sapah, University of Ghana, Ghana, Lecturer
- (U-Th)/He thermochronology of the Bosumtwi impact crater: Impact cratering is a thermal resetting event. This project aims to determine the absolute age of the Bosumtwi impact crater in Ghana, using (U-Th)/He thermochronology.
The next application deadline will be January 15, 2024. Details about scope, eligibility, funding and the application form can be found on the Endowment page of the website.