Rebecca Fischer and Zack Geballe were awarded the 2014 Mineral and Rock Physics Graduate Research Award, given annually to one or more promising young scientists for outstanding contributions achieved during their Ph.D. research. Recipients of this award are engaged in experimental and/or theoretical studies of Earth and planetary materials with the purpose of unraveling the physics and chemistry that govern their origin and physical properties.
Fischer’s thesis is entitled “Earth’s accretion, core formation, and core composition.” Geballe’s thesis is entitled “Melting and freezing of metals under the high pressures of planetary interiors.” They both were formally presented with the award at the 2014 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, held 15–19 December in San Francisco, Calif.
Rebecca Fischer received her B.A. in integrated science and Earth and planetary sciences from Northwestern University in 2009. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in high-pressure mineral physics under the supervision of Andrew Campbell at the University of Chicago. Her research interests include the compositions of Earth and planetary cores and the physical and chemical processes that determine their compositions.