2024-2026 Internship
Company: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Labor
Location: Laurel
Posted on: April 20, 2024
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Job Description:
Description
Have you dreamed of flying on another world?Have you imagined a
desert world where the sand dunes are made of the building blocks
of life, and it rains methane?Are you prepared to be a part of a
journey to the most Earth-like and yet alien world in the solar
system?This world is Saturn's moon, Titan, and Dragonfly, the
mission headed to it, seeks Student Investigators.Dragonfly Student
& Early Career Investigator Program:Saturn's moon Titan is the only
moon in our solar system with a dense atmosphere, which supports an
Earth-like hydrological cycle of methane clouds, rain, lakes and
seas. Complex organic surface materials preserve, in a deep freeze,
the types of organic chemicals that were present on Earth before
life developed. Titan's icy crust floats atop an interior liquid
water ocean. Dragonfly is a rotorcraft lander (an octocopter) that
will explore a variety of locations on Titan. Launching in 2028 and
reaching Titan in 2034, Dragonfly will journey farther than any
robotic lander has ever traveled. With one hop on average every
other Titan-day (one Titan-day equals 16 Earth days), the
rotorcraft will travel from its initial landing site to areas over
80 kilometers away during its planned 3.3-year mission.Each Student
Investigator will work with one or more Dragonfly mission team
members to conduct Titan research, help formulate Dragonfly mission
science and operations plans, or assist in the development of
instrumentation, hardware, or testing for a two-year term. Students
dedicate 30% of their time (concentrated during summer and academic
breaks) at APL and/or their Dragonfly mentor's home institution and
will receive annual funding for travel to Dragonfly team meetings
and to publish and present results at a scientific conference. A
faculty mentor at each student's home institution will be granted
travel support to attend the annual Dragonfly Student & Early
Career Investigator Program kickoff meeting.Titan, the largest moon
of Saturn, is believed to host a deep, potentially habitable ocean
under its icy surface. The exact composition of this ocean is still
unknown, but it is likely to contain major solutes such as NaCl and
NH3. Both of these compounds are known to be excellent antifreeze
agents, but very limited data on their behavior when subjected to
the 8,000 atmospheres of pressure of Titan's ocean, exist. These
data are crucial for interior modeling of the Titan and analysis of
Dragonfly seismological data.Project Description: Experimental
Study of Titan's Deep Ocean at High PressuresThis project will
experimentally quantify, for the first time, the anti-freeze effect
of combined NaCl and NH3 solutes on ices expected inside Titan and
characterize the sound speed and thermodynamics of the NaCl-NH3-H2O
system at high pressures and low temperatures.TasksThe student will
be trained to use diamond anvil cell high pressure apparatus,
operate a Raman spectrometer, and conduct phase stability and sound
speed measurements at the University of Washington. Specifically,
the project entails:Conducting high pressure - low temperature
phase diagram experiments using diamond anvil cell and Raman
SpectroscopyMeasuring sound-speed measurements of pressurized
solutions directly relevant to thermodynamic characterization and
seismological data analysis for TitanDeveloping a thermodynamic
data numerical representation tool useful for the planetary science
and physical chemistry communitiesDepending on their progress, the
student could be involved in applying the application of the
measured data to models of Titan's interiorOutcomeThe collected
data will provide the first estimates of the combined anti-freeze
effects of NaCl and NH3 in Titan's interior, and place constraints
on associated thermodynamic properties such as sound speed. This
project will directly aid the interpretation of data returned
fromthe Dragonfly Geophysics and Meteorology Package (DraGMet), in
particular seismological data.The results of this study could be
publishable in a scientific journal and presented at a scientific
conference.More information on the Dragonfly mission and
instruments can be found in the videos at
Qualifications
You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...Are
CURRENTLY pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in the physical
sciences, biological sciences, computer sciences, mathematics or
engineering at a U.S. institution AND will continue doing so
throughout the 2-year duration of the internship.Have at least a
3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scaleHave demonstrated ability to conduct
independent research or developmentHave excellent organizational
and communication skills (written and oral)Have the ability to work
both independently and in a team environmentHave a successful
background in chemistry or physics, and have experience in
designing and running experiments in physical chemistry and
thermodynamics. No background in planetary science is requiredIn
addition to a mentor on the Dragonfly team who leads this project,
applicants must identify a faculty member at their home institution
who can serve as a faculty mentor for the 2-year duration of their
participation in the program. Include as an attachment to your
application...
About Us
APL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All
qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment
without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender
identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age,
physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status,
occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal
appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable
law.APL is committed to promoting an innovative environment that
embraces diversity, encourages creativity, and supports inclusion
of new ideas. In doing so, we are committed to providing reasonable
accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with
disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to
participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact
Accommodations@jhuapl.edu. Only by ensuring that everyone's voice
is heard are we empowered to be bold, do great things, and make the
world a better place.
Keywords: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Labor, Towson , 2024-2026 Internship , Other , Laurel, Maryland
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