Marcos Jusino-Maldonado and Eliyagu (Eli) Sofovich, graduate students in Professor Zoe Todd’s research group, have been awarded F.5 Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) funding. Six research areas at NASA headquarters (Astrophysics, Biological and Physical Sciences, Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, and Science Activation and Citizen Science) provide the oversight for the review and selection process. According to NASA communications, FINESST accepts proposals for graduate student-designed research projects that contribute to the Science Mission Directorate’s science, technology, and exploration goals. The maximum three-year total FINESST award amount is $150,000, with a maximum total not exceeding $50,000 per proposal year for all combined costs.
Marcos Jusino-Maldonado (chemistry) was one of 29 awardees out of 295 proposals in the Planetary Science Division with a project proposal entitled, “Constraining the Role of UV Light in Selecting the Genetic Alphabet of Life.” Marcos is investigating questions involving the time before the emergence of life on our planet and this proposal allows him to dig deeper into if the building blocks of life on Earth are more photostable than their counterparts that could feasibly have also been present in planetary environments, but were not incorporated into the genetic code of DNA and RNA. This project addresses priority science questions outlined by NASA in the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. Marcos’s advisor, Prof. Zoe Todd, says, “Marcos’s passion for astrobiology has been apparent from his first day at UW-Madison, and it’s wonderful to see his hard work being rewarded with this recognition.”
Eli Sofovich (astronomy) was one of 24 awardees out of 456 proposals in the Astrophysics Division with a project proposal entitled, “Volatile Delivery in Multi-Planet Systems via Impacts.” His research focuses on a common exoplanetary architecture called “peas-in-a-pod”, where planets are close together, similar in size, and are regularly spaced in orbit around their host star. Studying these systems may offer insight into how organic molecules that are necessary for the origins of life are supplied to planets without being destroyed. Eli’s research will include computer simulations of 240 model systems with planets surrounded by disks of comets and asteroids with changing variables including the orbital parameters of the impactors, the number of rocky planets, the size of the star, and the presence and eccentricity of an outer gas giant planet. The goal is to determine the likelihood of comet and asteroid collisions with the rocky planets, how much chemical material they may deliver, and if these objects lose important molecules throughout their orbital history prior to impact events. PI Zoe Todd says of Eli and his work: “Eli comes from a highly interdisciplinary background combining both astronomy and chemistry, which gives him the unique skills necessary to carry out such a project. It’s been a pleasure to watch Eli develop the ideas and methodology to carry out this work.” This research will provide insight as to the types of exoplanet systems that could feasibly have access to a robust chemical inventory supplied by impacts to be used for potential origins of life. This work can ultimately help guide target selection for future NASA missions, such as the Habitable Worlds Observatory.