9:00–10:00 am
Please Join us:
Andrea S. Bryant's PhD Thesis Defense
Wednesday April 10, 2024 at 9:00 AM CDT
HYPOTHETICAL ICY MOON SEISMIC PROFILES FOR COMPARISON TO FUTURE SEISMIC DATA
Titan is one of the largest moons in the Solar System, featuring a thick atmosphere and a subsurface ocean. Its unique composition makes it a subject of significant interest across various scientific disciplines, including astrophysics and astrobiology. Titan is particularly valuable for studying hazy, Titan-like exoplanets and serves as a natural laboratory for astrobiology.
This defense provides a look at the major findings of my work on Titan seismology during my tenure as a graduate student. I will briefly discuss the field of extraterrestrial seismology as it stands today, providing context for my work on Titan. I will present my work on the effects of methane clathrates on both short and long period seismic profiles of Titan’s lithosphere (consisting of the ice shell, ocean, any high-pressure ices, and crust/top of mantle), as well as a study on potential seismic indicators of high-pressure ice beneath Titan’s ocean.
Committee Members:
Steve Meyer (chair)
Mark Panning (JPL/Caltech--co-advisor)
Abby Vieregg
Bob Rosner
Sunny Park (Geophysics)
Andrea will be a Provost’s STEM Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences (DEEPS) at Brown University starting in July.