Astronomy grad student Claire Lamman has been named a 2024 Harvard Horizons Scholar.

Harvard Griffin GSAS is pleased to announce the 2024 Harvard Horizons Scholars, who have been selected by the Harvard Horizons Faculty Fellows as representatives of the extraordinary researchers who make up Harvard’s PhD community. These eight students form the eleventh class of the Society of Horizons Scholars, a fellowship cohort that offers opportunities for long-lasting community, mentorship...

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is an advisory group of the Nation's leading scientists and engineers, appointed by the President to augment the science and technology advice available to him from inside the White House and from cabinet departments and other Federal agencies.   Prof. Loeb's nomination is subject to approval by Congress.  Also nominated was Dr. Daniela Rus, Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence...

Abstract: The circumstances surrounding the origins of life on Earth are still unknown, though substantial progress has been made recently. In general, the origins of life might have followed the path where first, simple feedstock molecules available in the planetary environment react to form the molecular building blocks of life, which then come together to make chemical polymers and eventually self-replicating systems that could constitute life. This thesis addresses the first part of this postulated process, attempting to answer the questions: 1) what planetary sources exist for...