Congratulations, Destiny! Your accomplishments inspire us all.

“Juxtaposing the Properties of Ground Level Enhancements (GLE) and Extreme Non-GLE Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) Events with their Solar Sources”

We're thrilled to share that Abdullah Shmies, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been accepted to the highly competitive 2025 NASA Heliophysics Summer School, taking place August 12–20 in Boulder, Colorado. Hosted by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) in collaboration with NASA, the Heliophysics Summer School brings together top graduate students and [...]

Date: Friday, April 4th, 2025 Time: 1:00 pm CT Advisor: Dr. Stephen Fuselier “A Study of Far-Flank Reconnection at Earth’s Magnetopause using MMS ” Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process, meaning it occurs in all plasmas. Magnetic recon-nection involves the breaking and re-establishing of magnetic field lines in a plasma, such that mass and energy are transferred between plasmas. Notably, magnetic reconnection is extremely prevalent in the [...]

Scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have made a fascinating discovery regarding the interaction between Jupiter and its moon Io. Their research has revealed unexpected variations in the electrons connecting the two celestial bodies, shedding new light on the complex dynamics of Jupiter's magnetosphere. This finding challenges previous assumptions and opens new avenues for understanding the intricate relationship between planetary systems. For further reading and more detailed information, please [...]

Patrice Smith said, "We are investigating the stable composition of the Moon's exosphere, which contains a diverse mix of neutral atoms and ions, ranging from abundant to trace species. To assess which species consistently contribute to the exosphere, we extract and analyze long-term far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectra collected from lunar orbit." Student Success! Patrice Smith Named 2025 DPS-NSBP Speaker We're thrilled to share some fantastic news from the [...]

“We have a really strong base of students here, and I think we’ve got a lot of future space professionals right here among us.”

Published in Nature Communication.

Samuel is in his sixth year of graduate school at UTSA

FINESST: Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology

Webb telescope data indicate a complex history for the metallic asteroid

The article title is "Catalog of Ultraviolet Bright Stars: Strategies for UV Occultation Measurements, Planetary Illumination Modeling, and Sky Map Analyses Using Hybrid IUE-Kurucz Spectra".

Juno spacecraft measures oxygen production on Jupiter’s moon, Europa.

Please join SwRI on congratulating our graduate student Jared Schroeder, who is the proud recipient of the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year!

Joe will join the Science Mission Directorate and assume his new role on Jan. 16, 2024.

Congratulations to Kylie!

The Sagan Medal recognizes outstanding scientific communication to the public by a planetary scientist.

Lead Computer Scientist Amy Burgin (Space Science Division, 15) attended the "Adventures in Amateur Astronomy" session held July 27. Observers were able to see live sunspots and solar flares using the telescopes set up outside Bldg. 263.

Award will be presented on Friday, Oct. 27, at the Black & Gold Gala during Homecoming weekend.

Congrats Jared!

Welcome new Alumni!

Press Release

“Spectral and Mineralogical Analysis of Planned CLPS Landing Sites with LRO-LAMP.”

Congratulations to Kris Pritchard!

Elizabeth will be joining Texas State University (her alma mater) as a lecturer in their Physics Department this Fall.

The article is titled "A Multi-Satellite Case Study of Low-Energy H+ Asymmetric Field-Aligned Distributions Observed by MMS in the Earth's Magnetosphere”

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) congratulates Dr. Christine Ray on her selection as the 2023-2024 William L. Fisher Congressional Geoscience Fellow. The Fisher Fellowship offers geoscientists the unique opportunity to spend a year in Washington, D.C., working as a staff member in the office of a member of Congress or with a congressional committee.

A team led by Southwest Research Institute used Juno data to examine the electron and ion particles and magnetic fields as the magnetic field lines of Jupiter and Ganymede merged, snapped and reoriented, heating and accelerating the charged particles in the region

Dinesh Kumar wins the prestigious “Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology” award!

Caleb Gimar wins the prestigious “Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology” award!

The article is titled "H+ Pitch Angle Distributions in the Outer Magnetosphere Observed by MMS HPCA."

The 3DI instrument, led by SwRI Principal Scientist and UTSA Associate Adjoint Professor Dr. Keiichi Ogasawara, has been selected for a Phase A study for the upcoming NASA Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission. Congratulations to Dr. Ogasawara! Read more at the NASA website.

Dr. Burch has received NASA’s highest honor for nongovernment employees, its Distinguished Public Service Medal.

Dr. Livi has been selected for membership in the Explorers Club 50 Class of 2022.

Kim will be in the inaugural cohort of Local Science Partners, a new program empowering scientists to build sustainable partnerships with their policymakers.

"Today's affirmation of our Carnegie R1 classification solidifies one of our most critical waypoints on UTSA's path to become a great public research university."

Congratulations to Rhyan Sawyer (Summer 2021), Kevin Delano, Lizeth Magana and Christine Ray (Fall 2021) on their graduation!

Dr. Pete Roming has been named a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS).

A new study by a recent graduate of Southwest Research Institute’s joint graduate program in physics with The University of Texas at San Antonio demonstrates the ability of the Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) to determine the composition of areas on the lunar surface by measuring the reflectance of far-ultraviolet (far-UV) light.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has appointed SwRI’s Heather Elliott to a three-year term on its new Space Weather Advisory Group (SWAG).

Please join SwRI in congratulating our graduate students Elizabeth Czajka, Samuel Hart and Jared Schroeder, who are the proud recipients of the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Fellowships for the 2021-2022 academic year! The Texas Space Grant Consortium Fellowships have been established to encourage graduate study in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. Each are being awarded a $5,000 fellowship. Fellowships are awarded on competitive basis with [...]

SwRI's Fuselier elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Samuel Hart wins the prestigious “Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology award!

Outstanding Student Presentation Awards (OSPAs) are awarded to promote, recognize and reward undergraduate, Master’s and PhD students for quality research in the geophysical sciences.

When NASA’s Voyager spacecraft visited Saturn’s moon Enceladus, they found a body with young, reflective, icy surface features. Some parts of the surface were older and marked with craters, but the rest had clearly been resurfaced. It was clear evidence that Enceladus was geologically active. The moon is also close to Saturn’s E-ring, and scientists think Enceladus might be the source of the material in that ring, further [...]

Astronomy on Tap SATX is a monthly event where two scientists give ~15 min. presentations about exciting space-related topics while you “drink” it all in at a local bar!

Michael and Christine are being named as Graduate Student Affiliates on the Europa Clipper Mission.

Tracy Becker, Natalie Hinkel, Keiichi Ogasawara, and Todd Veach.

SwRI will hold its annual Graduate Program Tour Day virtually on October 30th from 12:30 to 3:30 pm CDT.

Michael Starkey was recently featured in a Physics Today article regarding a paper he wrote on an interplanetary shock.