Curriculum Vitae : Melissa S. Rice : Cornell University

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Candidate	Cornell University, Astronomy, degree expected 2011 Thesis title: Aqueous Mineralogy at Gusev Crater and Eberswalde Crater, Mars Thesis advisor: Prof. Jim F. Bell III
M.S.	Cornell University, Astronomy with minors in Geology and Communication, July 2009
B.A.	Wellesley College, Astrophysics (cum laude), December 2004 Advisor: Prof. Richard French

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS

Studying the surface composition and geology of terrestrial planets with orbital and landed spacecraft
Interpretation of multi- and hyperspectral spacecraft imaging using laboratory comparisons
Aqueous alteration of primary martian lithologies and soil formation on Mars
Teaching undergraduate astronomy, planetary science and science writing
Public communication of science through writing and public speaking

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

2006 - 2011	Cornell University Department of Astronomy, Ithaca, NY Ph.D. Candidate. Thesis advisor: Prof. Jim F. Bell III
Summer 2006	Haughton Mars Project, Devon Island, CANADA Field Research Assistant. Studied pariglacial landforms as analogs to Martian terrain. Supervisor: Dr. Pascal Lee
Fall 2005	NAI High Lakes 2005 Expedition, BOLIVIA Team member. Assisted studies of UV damage to microorganisms at high altitude. Supervisor: Dr. Nathalie Cabrol
Summer 2005	NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA NASA Space Grant Intern. Worked with giant planet formation models. Supervisors: Dr. Jack Lissauer and Dr. Olenka Hubickyj
Spring 2005	Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA Research Assistant. Studied gas kinematics in active galaxies. Supervisor: Dr. Paul Martini
Summer 2004	NAIC Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, PR NSF REU Intern. Mapped ice features on Mercury using planetary radar. Supervisor: Dr. John Harmon
Spring 2004	Wellesley College Astronomy Department, Wellesley, MA NASA Space Grant Intern. Studied host galaxies of high redshift quasars. Supervisor: Dr. Kim McLeod
Winter 2004	Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, La Serena, CHILE NSF REU Intern. Modeled the 3-D photoionization of planetary nebulae. Supervisor: Dr. Hugo Schwarz
Summer 2003	University of Alaska Geophysical Institute, Fairbanks, AK NSF REU Intern in the Space Physics and Aeronomy group. Supervisor: Dr. Scott Bailey
2002 - 2004	Wellesley College Whitin Observatory, Wellesley, MA Telescope operator for the 24-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector. Supervisor: Prof. Kim McLeod

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

	Cornell University Department of Astronomy, Ithaca, NY
Spring 2011	Instructor, Astronomy 1110, "The Exploration of Mars" (a First-Year Writing Seminar) designed a new syllabus and led two 70-minute seminars/week (17 students)
Summer 2010	Co-advisor, REU student Annabelle Batista co-advised with Dr. Wes Watters; project title: "Hydrovolcanism in Gusev Crater"
Fall 2007, Fall 2009	Grader, Astronomy 2280, "Space Exploration" evaluated and provided written comments to ~90 student essays each semester
Spring 2008	Co-organizer, Communication 566, "Science Communication" designed syllabus and coordinated guest speakers
Spring 2008	Teaching Assistant, Astronomy 102, "Our Solar System" led two 50-minute sections/week (45 students), wrote and graded assignments
Fall 2007	Teaching Assistant, Astronomy 101, "The Nature of the Universe" led two 50-minute sections/week (18 students), wrote and graded assignments
Spring 2007	Teaching Assistant, Astronomy 202, "Our Home in the Solar System" graded essays and exams, held office hours and student conferences (25 students)
Spring 2007	Grader, Astronomy 490, "Critical Thinking" evaluated and provided written comments to student essays and exams (35 students)
Spring 2007	Teaching Assistant, Astronomy 233, "Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics" evaluated essays, held office hours and student conferences (4 students)
	Wellesley College Physics Department, Wellesley, MA
2002 - 2004	Teaching assistant and tutor for introductory physics courses. Supervisor: Prof. Glenn Stark
2002 - 2003	Lab Assistant, Astronomy 101, "Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology" led telescopic observing sessions, led review sessions and administered quizzes

ACADEMIC HONORS

Buttrick-Crippen Fellowship to develop a First-Year Writing Seminar, Cornell University (2010-2011)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2008-2011)
Amelia Earhart Fellowship Award, Zonta International (2008-2009)
Professor Elizabeth F. Fisher Fellowship, Wellesley College (2008-2009)
IAVCEI Travel Grant to attend the Understanding Volcanoes conference in Reykjavik, Iceland (2008)
Lunar and Planetary Institute Career Development Award (2008)
Mars Student Travel Award to attend the 7th International Conference on Mars (2007)
Susan R. Knafel '52 Traveling Fellowship to study Mars analogs (2005-2006)
Massachusetts Space Grant award to support an internship at NASA Ames (Summer 2005)
Charles Duncan Prize in Astronomy (2004)
Three Generations Prize for Science Writing, Honorable Mention, Wellesley College (2004)

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

J.K. Harmon, M.A. Slade, M. Rice (2011) Radar imagery of Mercury's putative polar ice: 1999-2005 Arecibo results, Icarus , doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.08.007 (Abstract)

R.E. Arvidson, J.W. Ashley, J.F. Bell III, M. Chojnacki, J. Cohen, T.E. Economou, W.H. Farrand, R. Fergason, I. Fleischer, P. Geissler, R. Gellert, M.P. Golombek, J. Grotzinger, E.A. Guinness, R.M. Haberle, K. E. Herkenhoff, J.A. Herman, K.D. Iagnemma, B.L. Jolliff, J.R. Johnson, G. Klingelhofer, A. H. Knoll, A. T. Knudson, R. Li, S. M. McLennan, D.W. Mittlefehldt, R.V. Morris, T.J. Parker, M. Rice, C. Schroder, L.A. Soderblom, S.W. Squyres, R.J. Sullivan, and M.J. Wolff (2011) Opportunity Mars Rover Mission: Overview and Selected Results from Purgatory Ripple to Traverses to Endeavour Crater, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets , doi:10.1029/2010JE003746 (Abstract)

S. Ruff, J. Farmer, W. Calvin, K.E. Herkenhoff, J.R. Johnson, R.V. Morris, M. Rice, R.E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell III, P.R. Christensen, S.W. Squyres (2010) Characteristics, distribution, and significance of opaline silica observed by the Spirit rover in Gusev Crater, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets

M. Rice, J.F. Bell III, E.A. Cloutis, J.J. Wray, K.E. Herkenhoff, R. Sullivan, J.R. Johnson, R.B. Anderson (2010) Temporal Observations of Bright Soil Exposures at Gusev Crater, Mars, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets , doi:10.1029/2010JE003683 (Abstract)

R.E. Arvidson, J.F. Bell III, P. Bellutta, N.A. Cabrol, J. G. Catalano, J. Cohen, L. Crumpler, D.J. Des Marais, T. Estlin, W. Farrand, R. Gellert, J.A. Grant, R. Greenberger, E.A. Guinness, K.E. Herkenhoff, J.A. Herman, K. Iagnemma, J.R. Johnson, G. Klingelhöfer, R. Li, K.A. Lichtenberg, S. Maxwell, D.W. Ming, R.V. Morris, M. Rice, S. Ruff, A. Shaw, K. Siebach, P. de Souza, A. Stroupe, S.W. Squyres, R.J. Sullivan, K. Talley, J. Townsend, A. Wang, J. Wright, A. Yen (2010) Spirit Mars Rover Mission: Overview and Selected Results from the Northern Home Plate Winter Haven to the Side of Scamander Crater, Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets , doi:10.1029/2010JE003746 (Abstract)

Rice, M., J.F. Bell III, E.A. Cloutis, A. Wang, S. Ruff, M. Craig, D. Bailey, J.R. Johnson, P.A. de Souza Jr., W.H. (2009) Silica-Rich Deposits and Hydrated Minerals at Gusev Crater, Mars: Vis-NIR Spectral Characterization and Regional Mapping, Icarus , doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.03.035 (Abstract)

Bell, J. F., M. Rice, Johnson, J. R., Hare, T. M. (2008) Surface albedo observations at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum, Mars, Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, E6 , doi:10.1029/2007JE002976 (Abstract)

Johnson, J., J. Bell, E. Cloutis, M. Staid, W. Farrand, M. Rice, A. Wang, A. Yen (2007) Mineralogic Constraints on Sulfur-Rich Soils from Pancam Spectra at Gusev Crater, Mars, Journal of Geophysical Research, 34, 13 , doi:10.1029/2007GL029894 (Abstract)

Harmon, J., M. Slade, B. Butler, J. Head, M. Rice, D. Campbell (2007) Mercury: Radar Images of the Equatorial and Midlatitude Zones, Icarus, 187, 2 , 374-405 (Abstract)

M. Rice; Martini, Paul; Greene, Jenny E.; Pogge, Richard W.; Shields, Joseph C.; Mulchaey, John S.; Regan, Michael W. (2006) Spatially Resolved Narrow-Line Region Kinematics in Active Galactic Nuclei, The Astrophysical Journal, 636 , 654-673 (Abstract)

CONFERENCES ATTENDED

Rice, M.S., J.F. Bell III, Spectral and Textural Changes Observed in Sulfate Soil Deposits at Gusev Crater, Mars,

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 14-18 December 2009.

Cole, S.B., A.T. Knudson, M. Rice, S.W. Squyres, A Detailed Look at Alteration Processes on Mars, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 14-18 December 2009.

Rice, M.S., E.A. Cloutis, J.F. Bell III, Reflectance Spectra of Hydrated Silica-Rich Materials: Sensitivity to the Form of Water and Implications for Mars, Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, 18-21 October 2009.

Cloutis, E.A., M.S. Rice, J.F. Bell III, S.A. Mertzman, D.L. Bish, R. Renaut, Spectral Reflectance Diversity of Silica- Rich Materials: Insights into Structure and Petrogenesis and Implications for Mars, Workshop on Modeling Martian Hydrous Environments, Houston, TX, 1-3 June 2009.

Rice, M.S., J.F. Bell III, E.A. Cloutis, A. Wang, S.W. Ruff, M.A. Craig, D.T. Bailey, J.R. Johnson, P.A. de Souza Jr., W.H. Farrand, Silica-Rich Deposits and Hydrated Minerals at Gusev Crater, Mars, Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIX, The Woodlands, TX, 23-27 March 2009.

Crumpler, L., R. Arvidson, D. Blaney, N. Cabrol, P.A. de Souza, Jr., W. Farrand, J. Farmer, R. Greely, J. Hurowitz, K. Lewis, T.J. McCoy, A.S. McEwan, H. McSween, D.W. Ming, R.V. Morris, J.W. Rice, M.S. Rice, S.W. Ruff, M. Schmidt, C. Schroder, S.W. Squyres, A. Yen, A. Yingst, Field Reconnaissance Geologic Mapping of the Columbia Hills, Gusev Crater from MER Spirit Rover and HiRISE Observations, Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIX, The Woodlands, TX, 23-27 March 2009.

Rice, M.S., J.F. Bell III, A. Wang, E.A. Cloutis,The Regional Distribution and Spectral Character of High-Silica Material at Gusev Crater, Mars: Emerging Evidence for a Hydrothermal System, IAVCEI Understanding Volcanoes General Assembly, Reykjavik, Iceland, 17-22 August 2008.

Rice, M.S., J.F. Bell III, A. Wang, E.A. Cloutis, High-Silica Rocks and Soils at Gusev Crater, Mars: Distribution, Spectra, and Implications for Past Hydrothermal Activity, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 15-19 December 2008.

Johnson, J.R., J.F. Bell III, M.S. Rice, W.H. Farrand, M. Schmidt, K.E. Herkenhoff, A. Wang, Pancam Spectral Variations Across Home Plate: Bonestell Panorama, Gusev Crater, Mars, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 15-19 December 2008.

Rice, M.S., J.F. Bell III, A. Wang, E.A. Cloutis, Vis-NIR Spectral Characterization of Si-Rich Deposits at Gusev Crater, Mars, Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIX, League City, TX, 10-14 March 2008.

Wang, A., J.F. Bell III, M. Rice, Coexistence of Si-rich and S-rich Materials at Gusev Crater, Columbia Hills, Lunar and Planetary Science XXXIX, League City, TX, 10-14 March 2008.

Rice, M.S., J.F. Bell III, J. Johnson, T. Hare, Surface Albedo Observations at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum, Mars, 7th Int'l Conference on Mars, Pasadena, CA, 9-13 July 2007.

Desportes, C., M.S. Rice, P. Lee, Periglacial Polygon Fields on Devon Island, High Arctic, as Possible Analogs for High-Latitude Polygonal Terrain on Mars: Implications for Phoenix, Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII, League City, TX, 12-16 March 2007.

Rice, M., O. Hubickyj, Visualizations of the Properties of a Growing Giant Planet, 37thAnnual DPS Meeting, Cambridge, U.K., 5-9 September 2005.

Rice, M., H. Schwarz, H. Monteiro, 3D Photoionization of the Planetary Nebula Hb5. 205th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, San Diego, CA, 9-13 January 2005.

Rice, M., J. Harmon, Radar Imaging of Mercury. 36th Annual Division of Planetary Sciences Meeting, Louisville, KY, 8-12 November 2004.

INVITED TALKS AND GUEST LECTURES

See my speaking and outreach section.