Events
CPSE meets monthly for a lunchtime seminar that brings together faculty, staff, and students from diverse disciplines to connect, share research, and explore new collaborations in planetary science and exploration. These seminars feature presentations from CPSE members about their current work, as well as invited talks from external speakers. Invited speakers include scientists, space-mission principal investigators, engineers, and representatives from commercial institutions. In addition to the seminar series, CPSE hosts public talks focused on planetary science and ongoing space missions by members or guest speakers. Outreach activities aimed at schools and the broader community are further supported by the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium.
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Seminars and Public Talks
| Date | Year | Speaker | Title / Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, April 13th | 2026 | Bradley J. Thomson (UTK), Molly McCanta (UTK), Nick Dygert (UTK), and Thomas Frueh (UTK) | Artemis II Moon Splash Party – Outreach and Talks |
| Tuesday, April 7th | 2026 | Craig Hardgrove (Arizona State University) | “Mapping Lunar Water with Neutrons: LunaH-Map Results and Next Steps” |
| Monday, April 6th | 2026 | Craig Hardgrove (Arizona State University) | LunaH-Map: Lessons from Building and Flying a Planetary Mission at a University |
| Monday, March 30th | 2026 | Harry McSween (UTK, Emeritus) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Monday, December 15th | 2025 | Timothy Glotch (SBU) | “One Way to Build a SSERVI Team: Lessons Learned from RISE and RISE2” |
| Tuesday, November 25th | 2025 | Bruce Jakosky (CU Boulder) | Development and implementation of the MAVEN Mission to Mars: PI lessons learned |
| Monday, November 24th | 2025 | Bruce Jakosky (CU Boulder) | “The history of H2O and CO2 on Mars” |
| Friday, November 14th | 2025 | Steven Squyres (Blue Origin) | Space exploration and utilization: An industry perspective |
| Tuesday, October 21 | 2025 | Kellie Walters (UTK) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Tuesday, September 23 | 2025 | John Schmisseur (UT SPACE INSTITUTE) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Tuesday, September 23 | 2025 | Molly McCanta (UTK) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Wednesday, July 16th | 2025 | Cathy Weitz (PSI) | Orbital and Rover Observations of the Marker Band in Gale Crater, Mars |
| Tuesday, May 6th | 2025 | Hannes Bernhardt (UMD) | Songs of Ice and Fire – Unlocking Changing Climates in Mars and Earth by Timing Geomorphologic Records |
| Tuesday, May 6th | 2025 | Jackie Clark (UMD) | The Moon has its Faults |
| Tuesday, April 22nd | 2025 | Nick Dygert (UTK) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Tuesday, April 22nd | 2025 | Lawrence Heilbronn (UTK) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Tuesday, March 25th | 2025 | Jill Mikucki (UTK) | Exploring Earth’s Cryosphere to Imagine Extraterrestrial Worlds |
| Tuesday, February 11th | 2025 | Zachary Marano (UTK) | Reaching for the Kármán Line: Student Space Initiatives at UT |
| Tuesday, February 11th | 2025 | Bradley J. Thomson (UTK) | Planetary geomorphology, drill core scanning, and a UTK mission to a lunar LaGrange point |
| Tuesday, December 17th | 2024 | Tim Glotch (SBU) | A Decade of Science, Exploration, and Outreach with the RISE and RISE2 SSERVI Teams |
| Tuesday, November 19th | 2024 | Stephanie TerMaath (UTK) | Surrogate Modeling to Explore Rock Fracture on Mars |
| Tuesday, November 19th | 2024 | Linda Kah (UTK) | Astrobiological Explorations from Earth to Mars |
| Tuesday, October 15th | 2024 | Ania Szynkiewicz (UTK) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Tuesday, October 15th | 2024 | Larry Townsend (UTK) | Member Introduction Talks |
| Tuesday, October 15th | 2024 | Jeffrey Moersch (UTK) | Member Introduction Talks |