Awards

The Indiana Space Grant Consortium (INSGC) has awarded Moshammat (Moe) Mijjum an INSGC Graduate Fellowship.  The INSGC is one of the 52 Consortia that participate in the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program.  In the state of Indiana, INSGC is a source of NASA-related information, awards and programs.

“Getting this fellowship is an honor, and will promote my participation in research conferences over the next few years,” says Mijjum. “These conferences are extremely important and valuable to me as a graduate student, as they help me learn about the current state of the field and the open research questions. Her current research aims to quantify the exposure and thermal histories of enstatite chondrites using cosmogenic noble gases.

Mijjum is originally from Los Angeles, California.  She earned her undergraduate degree at University of California, Berkeley in the Earth and Planetary Science Department.

“I became interested in geology/planetary science after various research experiences in undergrad. I worked at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Lab with Dr. Kees Welten in the cosmochemistry lab, studying radionuclides in Antarctic ice cores to constrain the timescales of abrupt climate events,” she says.  “This solidified my interest in lab work and using cosmochemistry as a tool for addressing geological research questions. I later worked on my undergraduate senior thesis in Dr. Welten’s lab, studying micrometeorite impacts in the Mo-Pt foils from NASA’s Genesis Mission, which encouraged me to expand my skillset to addressing planetary science questions.”

Mijjum is advised by Dr. Marissa Tremblay, assistant professor with the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at the Purdue University College of Science.  Tremblay encouraged Mijjum to apply for the fellowship.  Given the nature of the sciences covered in EAPS, the INSGC has previously awarded EAPS graduate students with these prestigious awards.  She sought their advice when applying.

“I received feedback from older graduate students in the department who have received the award on how to structure my application and what to emphasize in my research statement,” says Mijjum.

After graduate school, Mijjum plans to continue her work with thermochronology.  She currently conducts her research in the Thermochronology Lab at Purdue (T@P), and plans to go from this state-of-the-art laboratory onto another that will allow her research to continue seemlessly.

“After Purdue I’m aiming to work at either a NASA facility or national lab, where I can continue using thermochronology as a tool to quantify the exposure/thermal histories of both planetary bodies and terrestrial landscapes,” she says. “I want to work in these settings so I can constantly work with a team of scientists who approach similar research questions from vastly different backgrounds, while also being able to mentor different students via internships/REU programs.”

About the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University

The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) combines four of Purdue’s most interdisciplinary programs: Geology & Geophysics, Environmental Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, and Planetary Sciences. EAPS conducts worldclass research in the Earth and Planetary sciences, educates undergraduate and graduate students, and provides our college, university, state and country with the information necessary to understand the world and universe around us. Our research is globally recognized, our students are highly valued by graduate schools, employers, and our alumni continue to make significant contributions in academia, industry, and federal and state government.

 Writer: Cheryl Pierce