Ride along on a cosmic journey as Honolulu ARCS Scholar alumna Dr. Heidi B. Hammel shares her front-line experience with the James Webb Space Telescope. One of six interdisciplinary scientists advising NASA's JWST program since its official genesis in 2002, Dr. Hammel is the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) consortium vice president for science and a Space Science Institute senior research scientist.

On Christmas Day 2021, JWST was launched to the Sun-Earth Lagrange 2 point, where it can maintain a clear view of deep space. After months of optical commissioning and fine-tuning, the first images were released to the world in July. The telescope's powerful infrared capability revealed new vistas, from nearby in our galaxy out to the edge of the Universe. Since then, a steady stream of new data has enthralled astronomers and intrigued the public.

In this talk, which is co-sponsored by the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s Institute for Astronomy, Dr. Hammel explains why JWST was built and how this new facility is revolutionary for astrophysics. She will share the latest results from the telescope, including public highlights as well as results from her own science program to explore the Solar System with JWST. NOTE: The talk begins at noon Hawai‘i time (3 p.m. PDT, 6 p.m. EDT).

Dr. Hammel received her undergraduate degree from MIT and a PhD in physics and astronomy from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. After a post-doctoral stint at JPL, where she was a member of the Imaging Science Team for the Voyager 2 Neptune Encounter, she returned to MIT as a principal research scientist in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and spent many years with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Co. A frequent Hubble Space Telescope user, she led the Hubble Team that investigated Jupiter’s atmospheric response to the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994. She is vice president on the Board of Directors of the Planetary Society, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Astronomical Society and a recipient of the society's Harold Masursky Award, Carl Sagan Medal and Urey Prize.

The talk is free, but your donation helps support future ARCS Scholars like Dr. Hammel. Give now, or use the donation link provided with your registration confirmation.