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John Mather Nobel Scholar
Hi! I am currently involved in analyzing chemical contamination in cleanrooms agency-wide at NASA Goddard, examining curatorial witness materials from cool NASA missions conducted both decades ago and modern-day! Additionally, I collaborate on the OSIRIS-REx mission. Recently, I earned a Master's degree from the Institute for Planetary Materials in Misasa, Japan, where I contributed to another asteroid-return sample mission, Hayabusa2.
Titles are linked to PDFs
I assisted in analyzing C-type asteroid Ryugu samples, focusing on amino acid analysis using UHPLC-MS. Furthermore, I developed a model to understand the physicochemical conditions of aqueous alteration on a potential parent body of Ryugu based on bulk mineralogy.
The findings of my study suggest a commonality among Main Belt Comets (MBC), comets, and C-type asteroids, pointing to a shared origin in the trans-Neptunian region, characterized by an increased ice content.
I conducted tests on micro-scale environmental test chambers and published my work to contribute to improving ASTM standards. Additionally, I undertook various projects at NIST, such as developing bottles for safe formaldehyde storage and testing witness materials to identify carcinogenic compounds like TCPP via GC-MS.
NASA supported my trip to Japan for nearly 4 months! I was based at ELSI [Earth Life Science Institute], affiliated with Tokyo Institute of Technology. My university was kind enough to publish an article about me here.
During my time at NASA Goddard, I won this award due to my strong interest and demonstrated contribution to the study of origins of life and space.
Send me electronic mail!