Found in Space

Beth Clark Joseph, who began teaching physics and astronomy at Ithaca College this fall, thinks that instilling self-confidence in her students is among her most important tasks. Self-confidence is a quality Clark Joseph has certainly needed as a female in the male-dominated field of astronomy. "The only thing that holds us back is a lack of it," she says. "I see this so often in students: they have ability but need confidence to take risks. If I can do it, they can do it!"

The first female ever in the Ithaca College physics department is working on a proposal for a NASA nanorover (tiny exploration vehicle) project that will involve her students as research assistants. "As part of the Mars Scout program," Clark Joseph says, plan to send three spacecraft to Mars in 2007, each equipped with a nanorover, a camera, a weather station, and some instruments to search for signs of life. My part will be the imaging and infrared spectroscopy capabilities of the nanorovers. This program’s mission is to search out ideal landing sites for the Mars 2009 expedition that will send much more extensive instrumentation. The overall goal is to understand the geology of Mars and to search for life."

The nanorovers, which are the size of toy trucks, will do spectroscopic mapping --- looking at different wavelengths of light and their absorption or reflection by the planetary surface. This will help Clark Joseph and the other scientists determine the planet’s mineral composition. This information, she explains, "gives us the basic knowledge we need to answer questions like, What is the solar system made of? Is it typical or did a special set of circumstances lead us here? Is it easy to make planets and life?"

Clark Joseph, daughter of a mathematician, obtained her B.S. in 1986 at the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in 1993 from the University of Hawaii. From 1993 to 1995 she was a postdoctoral fellow at McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin. The following year she was a National Science Foundation visiting professor at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. Since 1996 she has been a researcher in the Cornell University astronomy department’s Center for Radiophysics and Space Research. She has lectured at Wells College; been an associate editor for the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science; chaired the scientific organizing committee of the 1999 International Conference on Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors; and served on scientific review panels for the Hubble Space Telescope, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. And, in her spare time, she is a science editor for the popular Earth and Sky radio series.

While at Cornell, Clark Joseph was part of a research team for history’s first asteroid orbiting mission. "The NEAR [Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission] project was a one-year mission that kept a spacecraft in orbit around asteroid 433 Eros," she explains. "The goal of the mission was to prove that we could keep a spacecraft in orbit around such a small object and understand the geology of an asteroid’s surface. We found very strange things that we still don’t understand and have difficulty explaining." Clark Joseph led the team that developed the infrared spectrometer carried aboard a miniature robotic rover vehicle and deployed by the spacecraft to explore a small area of the asteroid’s surface. Since the mission ended this past February, she’s worked with other Cornell researchers analyzing data and publishing papers on the findings.

Clearly, Clark Joseph is eager to spark science interest in her students. Later on during the Mars Scout project, she hopes to give them a rare and exciting research opportunity --- helping her analyze the data with high-powered computers in her campus lab and possibly serving as coauthors on published papers.

Although research is compelling, Clark Joseph is also enjoying teaching introductory physics and astronomy courses, using the Clinton B. Ford Observatory and its state-of-the-art computer system --- the project of her colleague Dan Briotta. She appreciates the chance to teach and to interact with her fellow faculty members, after a few lonely years spent working on projects where she would analyze data and write proposals on her own. "It’s much more fun to be here," she laughs.

John Schwartz, chair of the physics department, appreciates Clark Joseph’s teaching and research skills. "She brings skills, experience, and knowledge as a planetary astronomer," he says. "Both physics and astronomy majors and nonmajors in the general astronomy courses Beth teaches find her classes a welcoming place. She is a good person to help strengthen our new astronomy minor program." Schwartz also sees another important contribution Clark Joseph can make. "As a woman with a Ph.D. in astronomy, Beth is an excellent role model for women in our department and at the College."

Photo by George Sapio