MELINDA A. KAHRE
Education
Ph.D. (Astronomy, Physics Minor): New Mexico State University, Las
Cruces, NM, May 2006
Thesis Title: Investigations of the
Martian Dust Cycle and the Evolution of Surface Dust Reservoirs
M.S. (Astronomy): New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, August
2003
B.A. with Honors (Astronomy-Physics): Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA,
May 2001
Undergraduate Thesis
Title: The Interstellar Medium Towards Xi Persius
Academic Interests
Planetary Atmospheres and Planetary Surface/Atmospheric Interactions
- Martian climate and paleoclimate
- Martian dust cycle
and the evolution of surface dust reservoirs
- Martian water,
dust, and CO2 cycle interactions.
Society Memberships
American Astronomical Society
American Astronomical Society Division for the Planetary Sciences
Fellowships and Awards
NASA Postdoctoral Program Associate at NASA Ames Research Center (2006-
present)
NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program Fellow (2003-2006)
NMSU Astronomy Department’s Rappaport Award for Outstanding Communit
Service and Research by a Graduate Student (2005)
NMSU Astronomy Department’s Zia Award for Outstanding Research by a
Graduate Student (2004)
NMSU Astronomy Department’s Pegasus Award for Outstanding Teaching by a
Graduate Student (2002)
Research Experience
Research Assistant (2003- March 2006), New Mexico State University
NASA Postdoctoral Program Associate (March 2006- present), NASA Ames
Research Center
Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant (2001-2003), New Mexico State University
-Taught two semesters of introductory
solar system course laboratory.
Responsibilities included preparing and delivering short lectures at
the beginning of each class meeting, helping students with planned
activities, holding office hours, and grading.
-Assisted two semesters with an upper
division general education astronomy course entitled: Revolutionary Ideas In Science.
Responsibilities included helping students with questions and a final
project, lecturing when the professor was out of town or ill, and
grading.
Astronomy Mentoring (Spring 2004 and Spring 2005), Las Cruces Museum of
Natural History
-Taught two separate six week courses
for middle school kids about telescopes and astronomy.
Responsibilities included planning and teaching lessons for each
meeting and helping students find objects with telescopes.
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
Haberle, R.M., Kahre, M.A., Murphy, J.R., Christensen, P.R., Greeley,
R., 2006. The Role of Dust Devils and Orbital Precession in
Closing the Martian Dust Cycle.
Geophysical Research Letters, 33 (19).
Kahre, M.A., Murphy, J.R., Haberle, R.M., 2006. Modeling the
Martian dust cycle and surface dust reservoirs with the NASA Ames
General Circulation Model.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 111 (E6).
Kahre, M.A., Murphy, J.R., Haberle, R.M., Montmessin, F., Schaeffer,
J.R., 2005. Simulating the Martian dust cycle with a finite
surface dust reservoir.
Geophysical Research Letters, 32
(20).
Kahre, M.A., Murphy, J.R., Chanover, N.J., 2005. Observing the
Martian surface albedo pattern: Comparing the AEOS and TES data
sets.
Icarus, 179 (1),
55-62.
Paper Submitted
Kahre, M.A., Hollingsworth, J., Haberle, R.M., and Murphy, J.R., 2007.
Investigations of the Variability of Dust Particle Sizes in the Martian
Atmosphere using the NASA Ames General Circulation Model.
Submitted to
Icarus.
Professional Service
Reviewer for professional journals (ongoing).
Major Public Outreach
Astronomy Slide Shows (2001-2006), Las Cruces, NM
-Gave multiple public slide shows about
the solar system and astronomical objects
Astronomy Open Houses (2001-2006), New Mexico State University
-Assisted multiple times with the use
of telescopes to teach the public about astronomy
Invited Public Lecture (Feb. 2005), Las Cruces Museum of Natural
History.
Title: Dust and Water on Mars
Conference Proceedings/Abstracts
Kahre, M. A., Hollingsworth, J. L., Haberle, R. M., Murphy, J. R.
2007, A numerical study of the evolution of airborne dust
particle sizes during a simulated Martian global dust storm (
7th International Conference on Mars)
Hollingsworth, J. L., Kahre, M. A., Haberle, R. M. 2007, Mars
dust: atmospheric effects of large-scale extratropical cyclogenesis and
frontal waves (
7th
International Conference on Mars)
Haberle, R. M., Montmessin, F., Kahre, M.A., Schaeffer, J. 2007,
The role of the north residual cap in the present Mars water
cycle (
7th International
Conference on Mars)
Kahre, M. A., Murphy, J. R., Haberle, R. M. 2005, Using the NASA
Ames General Circulation Model to evaluate the importance of dust
devils on the evolution of surface dust reservoirs on Mars (
DPS)
Kahre, M.A. and Murphy, J.R. 2005. Simulating the Martian dust cycle at
high obliquity (
Vernansky-Brown
Climate Change Workshop)
Kahre, M. A., Murphy, J.R., Haberle, R. M., Montmessin, F., Schaeffer,
J. 2004. A Numerical Investigation of the Effects of a Finite
Dust Source on the Martian Annual Dust Cycle (
DPS)
Kahre, M.A., Murphy, J.R., Chanover, N.J., Beebe, R., Africano, J.,
Roberts, L., Kervin, P. 2004. Global Dust Storms on Mars:
Can Variations in the Surface Albedo Pattern Engender Interannual
Variability? (
AMOS Technical
Conference)
Kahre, M.A., Murphy, J.R., Chanover, N.J., Beebe, R., Africano, J.,
Roberts, L., Kervin, P. 2003. Mars in a Pre- and Post- Dust Storm
Era (
AMOS Technical Conference)
Kahre, M.A., Blackmon, M., Murphy, J.R., Chanover, N.J., Beebe, R.,
Africano, J., Roberts, L., Kervin, P. 2002. Synergistic
AEOS and MGS Observations of Mars (
DPS)