Colloquium: Bridging the Exoplanet - Planetary Divide

Prof. Mark Marley (University of Arizona / NASA Ames) will discuss why there is often a lack of collaboration between exoplanet researchers and the more traditional solar system researchers, and demonstrate the potential of exoplanet/Solar System synergies with a few examples of successful collaborations in the fields of atmospheric chemistry.

Exoplanetary science emerged over the past two decades, rising up alongside traditional solar system planetary science. Both fields focus on understanding the processes which form and sculpt planets through time, yet there has been less scientific exchange between the two communities than is ideal. In my talk I’ll discuss some of historical reasons for this disconnect and consider some of the institutional and cultural barriers which still impede cross-discipline collaborations. I will illustrate these themes with examples of exoplanet/Solar System synergies in the fields of atmospheric chemistry, cloud physics, and planetary evolution. I will then give suggestions for how we can nurture such connections between these intrinsically interdisciplinary fields of study.

Prof. Mark Marley is Chair of the Planetary Sciences Department and Head of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. Before coming to the University he worked for 20 years as a research scientist at NASA Ames. He is a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society and has published extensively in solar system and exoplanetary science, primarily focusing on atmospheric processes.

recording: www.youtube.com/watch