Maria Zuber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Zuber
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| Co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2021 Serving with Frances Arnold and Francis Collins
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 27, 1958 Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BS) Brown University (MS, PhD) |
| Awards | NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary science |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Thesis | Unstable Deformation in Layered Media: Application to Planetary Lithospheres (1986) |
| Doctoral advisor | E. M. Parmentier |
Maria T. Zuber (born June 27, 1958) is an American scientist who studies planets. She is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She also helps lead the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
Maria Zuber has worked on many NASA missions. These missions have explored the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and asteroids. She led the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Mission. This mission studied the Moon's gravity.
Contents
Maria Zuber's Early Life and School Days
Maria T. Zuber was born on June 27, 1958. She grew up in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania. Her family lived in a coal mining area. She was one of five children. Her grandfathers were coal miners.
Maria was the first person in her family to go to college. She studied astronomy and geology at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1980.
She then went to Brown University. There, she earned her master's and Ph.D. degrees in geophysics. Geophysics is the study of Earth's physical processes. She joked that she didn't want to go to a "nerd school." But she ended up becoming a big science "nerd" herself!
Exploring Planets: Maria's NASA Adventures
After college, Maria Zuber worked at Johns Hopkins University. She also worked as a research scientist for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. In 1995, she joined the faculty at MIT.
From 2003 to 2012, she led MIT's Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences department. She was the first woman to lead a science department at MIT. Later, she became the vice president for research at MIT.
Maria Zuber studies the structure of planets and other objects in our solar system. She is a leader in mapping the surfaces of planets. She uses special tools like lasers and gravity measurements. These help her understand what planets are made of inside. They also show how planets have changed over time.
Her laser tools have made very accurate maps of Mars and the Moon. These maps are even better than maps of Earth! She has been part of 10 NASA missions. These include Mars Global Surveyor, Dawn, and MESSENGER.
The GRAIL Mission: Naming Moon Probes
Maria Zuber loved planetary science from a young age. She wanted to share this excitement with others. So, she worked with former astronaut Sally Ride. They added parts to the GRAIL mission to inspire young students.
Students could enter a contest to name the two GRAIL spacecraft. The winning names were Ebb and Flow. Students can also use GRAIL's Moon Knowledge Acquired (MoonKAM) program. This lets middle school students use cameras on the spacecraft to take pictures of the Moon.
Advising the President on Science
In January 2021, Maria Zuber took on a new important role. President Joe Biden asked her to be a co-chair. She helps lead the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). This group gives advice to the President on science and technology topics.
Awards and Recognitions
Maria Zuber has received many awards for her amazing work. Here are some of them:
- 2002: Named one of the "50 Most Important Women in Science" by Discover Magazine.
- 2004: Received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.
- 2007: Won the American Astronautical Society/Planetary Society Carl Sagan Memorial Award.
- 2008: Received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Brown University.
- 2008: Named one of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News & World Report.
- 2012: Received the NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal.
- 2012: Won the Harry Hess Medal from the American Geophysical Union.
- 2019: Awarded the Gerard P. Kuiper Prize in Planetary Sciences.
- 2022: Received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
Maria Zuber is also a member of several important science groups. These include the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
An asteroid is named after her! Asteroid 6635 Zuber orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
See also
- List of women in leadership positions on astronomical instrumentation projects
