LASP Science Seminars

LASP seminars are generally held every Thursday at 1:00 PM on Zoom and in person.

If you are interested in attending, please contact one of our Science Seminar Committee members (see below) to be added to the mailing list.

We are currently seeking speakers for our Fall 2025 seminar series. If you or a colleague would like to give a seminar, please contact one of our Science Seminar Committee members:

Sonal Jain (Planetary)
Yi Qi (Space Physics)
Andrei Afanasev (Solar/Stellar)
Matthew Norgren (Earth Atmospheres)

Upcoming Science Seminars

December 11, 2025

X-ray study of stellar flares on RS CVn-type stars and protostars — From NICER to XRISM

Shun Inoue

(Kyoto University, Japan)

Solar and stellar flares are explosive phenomena in which magnetic energy stored around starspots is suddenly released through magnetic reconnection. The radiation emitted during flares covers a broad range of wavelengths from radio to X-rays, each...

Past Science Seminars

December 4, 2025

Science Traceability Matrix (STM): my journey from Parker Solar Probe (PSP) to Space Weather Investigation Frontier (SWIFT)

Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti

(University of Michigan)

NASA science missions are often complex systems of systems, involving various stakeholders, including the United States’ Congress. To ensure a clear and concise communication of expectations, requirements, and constraints, NASA has adopted the Science Traceability Matrix...

November 13, 2025

What can the atmospheric escape from exoplanets tell us about our own solar system?

Matthäus Schulik

(Imperial College London)

The study of atmospheric escape from exoplanets has undergone significant advances in the recent decade.The discovery of routinely detectable exoplanet transits in the Helium 10830A line have opened up pathways to trace the total line-of-sight column...

November 6, 2025

Rocket launches and satellite re-entry: Estimating how the coming age of LEO megaconstellations may impact the atmosphere

Chris Maloney

(CIRES)

The number of rockets and satellites launched into space has rapidly increased since the late 2010’s as a response to the expanding interest in both the commercial and government opportunties available in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)....

October 30, 2025

Ice and Climate at the Poles of Mars

Isaac B. Smith

(York University)

Mars famously has two ice caps, one at each pole, and two volatiles: carbon dioxide and water. Additionally, at both poles, seasonal ice deposits in the winter darkness and sublimates throughout the spring to expose the...

October 23, 2025

Unlocking the Moon, Unlocking the Solar System

Dr. Ben Bussey

(Intuitive Machines)

The Moon offers multiple types of resources. It is a scientific resource, an exploration resource, and also a commercial resource. The Moon is a cornerstone for multiple science disciplines, not just lunar; it can help us...