Mariek Schmidt

Volcanologist Mariek Schmidt will be part of the NASA news conference for the Curiosity mission happening March 18 from noon to 1 p.m.

Schmidt, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, will be discussing recent results from the Canadian-built Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), which measures elemental compositions of rock surfaces and soils.

She will talk about how the APXS data contributes to understanding the geology along the Curiosity rover’s route and context for recent rock drilling activities.

The news conference will be streamed live online.

On Wednesday, April 10, Schmidt will also talk about her experiences with the mission and how the rover’s discoveries in the Gale Crater tell the story of environments on Mars through time as part of the Faculty of Math and Science’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

The talk happens at 7 p.m. in South Block 204. Admission is free. For event information, contact Christina Phillips, faculty advancement officer at cphillips4@brocku.ca.