Bruce M. Jakosky

Professor of Geological Sciences.
Faculty Research Associate, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Director, Center for Astrobiology

Ph.D., 1982, California Institute of Technology

Research Interests:
Prof. Jakosky teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in both Earth and planetary geology and extraterrestrial life, including both the science and the societal and philosophical issues relating to the science. His research interests are in the geology of planetary surfaces, the evolution of the martian atmosphere and climate, the potential for life on Mars and elsewhere, and the philosophical and societal issues in astrobiology. He has been involved with the Viking, Solar Mesosphere Explorer, Clementine, Mars Observer, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Science laboratory spacecraft missions, and is involved in planning future spacecraft missions. He heads up the University of Colorado’s team in the NASA Astrobiology Institute. He has published more than 100 papers in the refereed scientific literature. His book “The Search for Life on Other Planets” was published in 1998 by the Cambridge University Press, and “Science, Society and the Search for Life in the Universe” was published in 2006 by University of Arizona Press. He serves on numerous national advisory committees. He serves as Associate Director for Science in the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado.

Recent Courses Offered:

GEOL 3300, Extraterrestrial Life
GEOL 5830, Astrobiology
GEOL 5700, Planetary field geology (field trips that have included Yellowstone, Meteor Crater, Hawaii volcanism)
GEOL 5835, Seminar on The Moon

Recent Publications:

• Jakosky, B.M., The search for life on other planets, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
• Pelkey, S.M., B.M. Jakosky, and P.R. Christensen (2004). Surficial properties in Gale Crater, Mars, from Mars Odyssey THEMIS data, Icarus, 167, 244-270.
• Jakosky, B.M. and M.T. Mellon (2004). Water on Mars, Phys. Today, 57, 71-76.
• Jakosky, B.M., F. Westall, and A. Brack (2004). Mars, in Astrobiology (J. Baross and W. Sullivan, eds.), in press.
• Christensen, P.R., S.W. Ruff, R. Fergason, N. Gorelick, B.M. Jakosky, M.D. Lane, A.S. McEwen, H.Y. McSween, G.L. Mehall, K. Milam, J.E. Moersch, S.M. Pelkey, A.D. Rogers, and M.B. Wyatt (2005). Mars Exploration Rover candidate landing sites as viewed by THEMIS, Icarus, 176, 12-43.
• Solomon, S.C., O. Aharonson, J.M. Aurnou, W.B. Banerdt, M.H. Carr, A.J. Dombard, H.V. Frey, M.P. Golombek, S.A. Hauck II, J.W. Head III. B.M. Jakosky, C.L. Johnson, P.J. McGovern, G.A. Neumann, R.J. Phillips, D.E. Smith, and M.T. Zuber (2005). New perspectives on ancient Mars, Science, 307, 1214-1220.
• Jakosky, B.M., M.T. Mellon, E.S. Varnes, W.C. Feldman, W.V. Boynton, and R.M. Haberle (2005). Mars low-latitude neutron distribution: Possible remnant near-surface water ice and a mechanism for its recent emplacement, Icarus, 175, 58-67.
• Martinez-Alonso, S., B.M. Jakosky, M.T. Mellon, and N.E. Putzig (2005). A volcanic interpretation of Gusev Crater surface materials from thermophysical, spectral, and morphological evidence, J. Geophys. Res., 110, E01003, doi:10.1029/2004JE002327.
• Christensen, P.R., H.Y. McSween, Jr., J. L. Bandfield, S.W. Ruff, A.D. Rogers, V.E. Hamilton, N. Gorelick, M. B. Wyatt, B.M. Jakosky, H. H. Kieffer, M.C. Malin, and J. E. Moersch (2005) , Evidence for magmatic evolution and diversity on Mars from infrared observations, Nature, doi: 10.1038/nature03639.
• Link, L.S., B.M. Jakosky, and G.D. Thyne (2005). Biological potential of low-temperature aqueous environments on Mars, Int. J. Astrobiology, 4, 155-164.
• Martinez-Alonso, S., M.T. Mellon, B.C. Kindel, and B.M. Jakosky (2006). Mapping compositional diversity on the surface of Mars: The spectral variance index, J. Geophys. Res., 111, 10.1029/2005JE002492.
• Chojnacki, M., B.M. Jakosky, and B.M. Hynek (2006). Surficial properties of landslides and surrounding units in Ophir Chasma, Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 111, E04005, doi:10.1029/2005JE002601
• Jakosky, B.M. (2006). Science, Society, and the Search for Life in the Universe, Univ. Arizona Press.
• Jakosky, B. M., B. M. Hynek, S. M. Pelkey, M. T. Mellon, S. Martínez-Alonso, N. E. Putzig, N. Murphy, and P. R. Christensen (2006). Thermophysical properties of the MER and Beagle II landing site regions on Mars, J. Geophys. Res., 111, E08008, doi:10.1029/2004JE002320.
• Des Marais, D.J., B.M. Jakosky, and B.M. Hynek (2006). Astrobiological implications of Mars surface composition and properties, in Mars Surface Composition, Mineralogy, and Physical Properties, J.F. Bell III, ed., Cambridge Univ. Press, in press.
  

Home page: jakosky.html
Email address: Bruce.Jakosky@lasp.colorado.edu

Phone: (303)492-8004

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