About the Speaker: Dr. Ishita Pal is a postdoc researcher at University of Louisiana Lafayette, USA. She has a PhD in Laboratory Astrophysics from the same university. During her PhD she also received prestigious NASA FINESST Fellowship. She use isotope chemistry and micro-structural information on rocks, dusts, trees and fossils to explore the mysteries of this planet and our Solar System.

Date: 22 May, 2026

Talk Abstract: Fossils come in many forms, sizes and ages. Some are extremely rare, unique and ancient, while others are more common, numerous and modern. Extracting records and creating a holistic picture from such samples requires perspectives and resources from various disciplines of science. I am going to discuss the study of fossils through an interdisciplinary lens and how that advances the field of Earth and Planetary Science research. I will talk through the development of a new methodology for coordinated analysis of stellar fossils, aka presolar stardust. Through collaboration between astrophysical and analytical research, this work uncovers new insights to subgrain chemistry, providing first evidence of rare nucleosynthetic reactions in core-collapse supernovae (p- and n-process). Additionally, our results add rapidly-accrediting-white-dwarf as a new stellar site for presolar grain production. Using similar principles of isotopic analysis, I will also discuss the development of a paleoclimate proxy based on contemporary pine trees and non-petrified fossil wood.

About the Speaker: Dr. Nandita Kumari is an Associate Research Scientist at Planetary Science Institute and a Post Doc at Purdue University. She holds BE in Geoinformatics degree from CEG, Guindy, and PhD in Geosciences from Stony Brook University. She is passionate about unraveling the history of the solar system through spectroscopy, remote sensing, and data-driven analysis. Her research focuses on linking laboratory, field, and orbital observations to better understand planetary differentiation, magmatic processes, and early solar system evolution. She is also interested in compositional characterization of primitive parent bodies and rocky exoplanets. Beyond research, she is deeply committed to teaching, mentorship, and advancing planetary exploration through collaborative work.

Date: 5 June, 2026

Talk Abstract: Silicon is the second most abundant element in rocky planetary bodies, making silica (SiO₂) content a powerful diagnostic for understanding fundamental questions across the solar system, from early Solar System formation and planetary differentiation to volcanism, crustal evolution, habitable environments, and in-situ resource utilization. This talk explores how silica abundance can be remotely quantified to address open questions on the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and rocky exoplanets, including the formation of lunar silicic volcanoes in the absence of plate tectonics and debates over the diversity of the Martian crust.

About the Speaker: Dr. Aditya Khuller is a Senior Research Scientist at the Polar Science Center within the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington. He has a PhD in Geological Sciences from Arizona State University. His research interests include studying planetary ices, surface processes, and atmospheres using a combination of numerical modeling, remote sensing data (visible/near-infrared, thermal infrared, radar, and microwave wavelengths) and geological mapping. He also has experience with NASA flight hardware development and testing for thermal infrared instruments, CubeSat electric propulsion, and mission operations software.

Date: 25 April, 2026

Talk Abstract: The presence of ice and liquid water are key to the evolution of martian geology, the potential for past or extant life, and the future of robotic and human exploration on Mars. I will review recent discoveries of ice on Mars and discuss how and when ice may be melting on Mars, potentially making photosynthesis within martian ice possible!

For Potential Speakers: IIREES Edutech will be happy to listen if you wish to share your research. Kindly shoot an email to contact@iirees.com

About the Speaker: Dr. Anna Losiak is a planetary geologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences, specializing in impact craters and Martian surface processes. She holds degrees from the University of Warsaw, Michigan State, and the University of Vienna. Her notable work includes finding charred remains of organisms killed during small crater formation events. She has over 20 published papers and is an active science communicator across Europe.

Date: 11 April, 2026

Talk Abstract: Impact craters are formed by collisions of cosmic bodies moving with hypervelocity. Their formation is one of the most crucial geological processes that shapes surfaces of all solid planetary bodies in our Solar System and beyond (Melosh 1989), but the importance of this started to be recognized only within the last 70 years. Suggestions of the extraterrestrial origin of some of the round, rimmed structures on the surface of the Earth were first proposed at the beginning of the 20th century (e.g., Barringer crater in the USA recognized by Barringer in 1909, Kaali in Estonia recognized by Reinvaldt in 1933), usually due to spatial association with iron meteorites. Currently, those projects efficiently trace asteroids larger than 1 km in diameter that may bring a global or at least regional disaster (CNEOS 2023). While there is currently no known asteroid that could cause such catastrophic damage, it is probable that a populated area will be hit by a significant asteroid impact within the lifespan of our species, based on the current impact flux on Earth (Bland & Artemieva 2006). In the next few hundred years, the most, likely hazard comes from small bodies with
diameters ranging from 20 to 50 meters, which are large enough to form an impact crater several hundred meters in diameter upon reaching Earth’s surface. The aim of this talk is to review the relevance of the formation of impact craters in Quaternary geology, to describe examples of very small Holocene impact craters on Earth, and to contrast very small craters with much larger structures.

For Potential Speakers: IIREES Edutech will be happy to listen if you wish to share your research.Kindly shoot an email to contact@iirees.com

Article Details: Ki-Weon Seo et. al.
Drift of Earth's Pole Confirms Groundwater Depletion as a Significant Contributor to Global Sea Level Rise 1993–2010
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103509

#IIREES #VARVE #Geoscience #Planetary #Earth

Article details: Mitchell, R.N., Kirscher, U. Mid-Proterozoic day length stalled by tidal resonance. Nat. Geosci. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01202-6

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01146-x