The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) has awarded its 2004 Harold C.
Urey Prize to Dr. Jean-Luc Margot of Cornell University. The Urey Prize is
awarded annually to a member of the DPS to recognize and encourage
outstanding achievements in planetary science by a young scientist. The
Urey Prize will be presented to Margot at DPS 2004, which will convene
November 8-12 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Margot, an Assistant Professor of Planetary Science at Cornell University,
is recognized for his broad-ranging studies of solar system binary objects,
of planetary spin states, and of water ice on the surface of the Moon,
using ground-based and spaced-based telescopes sensitive at radio,
infrared, and optical wavelengths. Margot has discovered and characterized
binary systems from near-Earth space to the Kuiper Belt. His
high-precision measurements of the spin states of Mercury and Venus are
yielding important information about the interiors of those planets. He
has measured the amplitude of tiny physical librations at Mercury, a
finding that has important implications for the state of the planet’s
core. Additionally, Margot’s radar interferometry measurements and digital
elevation models of the lunar poles pinpoint potential regions for ice
deposits on the Moon.
The DPS is the largest organization of professional planetary scientists in
the world. More information on the annual DPS meeting and this year’s
prize winners, including an image of Dr. Margot, can be found on the DPS
web site at http://www.aas.org/~dps/dps.html
additional images are available at the Cornell web site at
http://astrosun2.astro.cornell.edu/~jlm/out/photos/
