Department News Archive


Where Does Martian Dust Come From?

Where Does Martian Dust Come From?
New study suggests much of the dust on the surface of Mars comes from a single geological formation near the planet’s equator.


50th Anniversary Symposium June 12-13

50th Anniversary Symposium June 12-13
Please join the Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. Our two-day symposium will begin with a light lunch at noon on Tuesday, June 12 and run through 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 13. There will be a dinner at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12.


Congratulations to Our Graduates

On May 24, 2018 the Department had six PhD students graduate:  Fang Huang, Eshwan Ramudu, Kirby Runyon, Alexi Russell, Hannah Susorney and Jordan Thomas. In addition, Masters Degrees were awarded to Sarah Moran and Andrew Annex. The Department also awarded Bachelor’s Degrees to the following students:, E&PS Majors Morgan Balster, Eric Chan, Erica Johnston, Sydney […]


E&PS Student Achievements

E&PS Graduate Student Sarah Moran has been awarded a 2018 NASA Earth and Space Sciences Graduate Fellowship in Astrophysics for her proposal entitled “Determining the Role of Hazes in the Atmospheres of Temperate Planets in M-Dwarf Systems.” This is a highly competitive fellowship program and in 2018 only 8 of the 177 proposals submitted were […]


Congratulations to our Undergraduates

The Johns Hopkins Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences congratulates five graduating seniors from the class of 2018 who completed honors theses. Eric Chan:  A graduate of John Foster Dulles HS in Sugarland, TX Eric worked with Prof. Sarah Horst to examine the impact of changing carbon monoxide concentrations on the chemical composition of hazes. […]


Researchers simulate conditions inside ‘super- Earths’

Researchers simulate conditions inside ‘super- Earths’
Simulations offer insight into what previously had been limited to extrapolations and theoretical calculations By aiming intense X-ray beams at iron samples, scientists have discovered what may lie at the core of “super-Earths,” rocky planets triple the mass of Earth orbiting far-distant stars. Written by Jessica Ader.


Alien atmospheres recreated on Earth

Alien atmospheres recreated on Earth
Researcher Dr. Sarah Hörst and her team have recreated the chemistry of atmospheres on distant planets for the first time in the lab. The study was published in Nature Astronomy this week.