Karen Jean Meech
Encyclopedia
Karen J. Meech is an astronomer
at the Institute for Astronomy
in the University of Hawaii
. Meech specializes in planetary astronomy
, in particular the study of distant comets and their relation to the early solar system
. She is also very active in professional-amateur collaboration and science teacher education
and was the founder of the Towards Planetary Systems (TOPS) high-school teacher / student outreach program that helps educate science teachers in the Pacific islands
. She received her Ph.D.
in Planetary Sciences in 1987 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, and a B.S. from Rice University in Houston in 1981, and has received several awards in her career, including the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy
in 1988 and the American Astronomical Society
's H. C. Urey Prize
in 1994. She was a co-investigator on the Deep Impact mission and current co-investigator on the NASA Discovery missions EPOXI and Stardust-NExT. For all three of these missions she has
coordinated the world's Earth-based and space-based observing programs. She is the PI of the University of Hawaii
NASA Astrobiology Institute lead team which focuses its research on "Water and Habitable Worlds". She is currently the President of the International
Astronomical Union Division III (Planetary Systems Science).
Asteroid
4367 Meech
, discovered by Schelte J. Bus
on March 2, 1981, is named in her honor.
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
at the Institute for Astronomy
Institute for Astronomy
The Institute for Astronomy is a research unit within the University of Hawaii system, led by Günther Hasinger as Director. IfA main headquarters are located at 2680 Woodlawn Drive in Honolulu, Hawaii, , on the University of Hawaii at Mānoa campus. Additional facilities are located at Pukalani,...
in the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. Meech specializes in planetary astronomy
Planetary science
Planetary science is the scientific study of planets , moons, and planetary systems, in particular those of the Solar System and the processes that form them. It studies objects ranging in size from micrometeoroids to gas giants, aiming to determine their composition, dynamics, formation,...
, in particular the study of distant comets and their relation to the early solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. She is also very active in professional-amateur collaboration and science teacher education
Teacher education
Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community....
and was the founder of the Towards Planetary Systems (TOPS) high-school teacher / student outreach program that helps educate science teachers in the Pacific islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
. She received her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Planetary Sciences in 1987 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, and a B.S. from Rice University in Houston in 1981, and has received several awards in her career, including the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy
Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy
The Annie Jump Cannon Award in Astronomy is awarded annually by the American Astronomical Society to a woman resident of North America, who is within five years of receipt of a Ph.D., for distinguished contributions to astronomy or for similar contributions in related sciences which have immediate...
in 1988 and the American Astronomical Society
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
's H. C. Urey Prize
H. C. Urey Prize
The Harold C. Urey Prize is awarded annually by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. The prize recognizes outstanding achievement in planetary science by a young astronomer. The prize is named after Harold C. Urey....
in 1994. She was a co-investigator on the Deep Impact mission and current co-investigator on the NASA Discovery missions EPOXI and Stardust-NExT. For all three of these missions she has
coordinated the world's Earth-based and space-based observing programs. She is the PI of the University of Hawaii
NASA Astrobiology Institute lead team which focuses its research on "Water and Habitable Worlds". She is currently the President of the International
Astronomical Union Division III (Planetary Systems Science).
Asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
4367 Meech
4367 Meech
4367 Meech is a main-belt asteroid discovered on March 2, 1981 by Schelte J. Bus at Siding Spring.- External links :*...
, discovered by Schelte J. Bus
Schelte J. Bus
Schelte John "Bobby" Bus is an Associate Astronomer at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy and Support Astronomer at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility IRTF. He received his B.S. from Caltech in 1979, and was awarded his Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999.Bus...
on March 2, 1981, is named in her honor.