Amy Mainzer
{{Short description|American astronomer}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Amy Mainzer
| image = Amy mainzer (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 220
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1974|01|02
}}
| birth_place = Mansfield, Ohio
| residence =
| nationality = American
| field = Astrophysics
| work_institutions = University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
| alma_mater = Stanford University
California Institute of Technology
University of California, Los Angeles
| doctoral_advisor =
| doctoral_students =
| known_for = Astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy
| prizes =
| footnotes =
}}
Amy Mainzer (born January 2, 1974) is an American astronomer, specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy. She was the deputy project scientist for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and is the principal investigator for its NEOWISE extension to study minor planets{{cite web |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-031 |title=NASA's NEOWISE Completes Scan for Asteroids and Comets – NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory |work=jpl.nasa.gov |date=February 1, 2011 |access-date=March 11, 2011 |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605025802/http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-031 |url-status=dead }} and for the future Near Earth Object Surveyor space telescope mission.
She also hosted segments for and served as science curriculum consultant and executive producer for the PBS Kids series Ready Jet Go!.[https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200825/https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/faculty/amy-mainzer] {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}
Life
Mainzer received a B.Sc. in physics from Stanford University with honors (1996), an M.Sc. in astronomy from California Institute of Technology (2000), and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles (2003).
Her research interests include asteroids, brown dwarfs, planetary atmospheres, debris disks, star formation, and the design and construction of new ground- and space-based instrumentation.{{cite web |url=http://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Mainzer/ |title=Science – Evolution of Galaxies: People: Amy Mainzer |work=science.jpl.nasa.gov |access-date=March 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703044918/http://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Mainzer/ |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |url-status=dead }}
She appears in several episodes of the History Channel series The Universe.{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/amy-mainzer/person/642559/summary.html|title=Amy Mainzer|publisher=CBS Entertainment|access-date=January 30, 2011|archive-date=August 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814040823/http://www.tv.com/amy-mainzer/person/642559/summary.html|url-status=dead}} She also appears in the documentary featurette "Stellar Cartography: On Earth" included on the Star Trek Generations home video release (March 2010). Mainzer is also in the 2016 documentary about the life of Leonard Nimoy and the effect of Spock on popular culture called "For the Love of Spock", which was directed by Leonard Nimoy's son Adam Nimoy. She serves as the science consultant and host for the live-action interstitials on the PBS Kids series Ready Jet Go!.{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2015/ready-jet-go-premiere/|title=PBS KIDS Announces Premiere Date for New Animated Series READY JET GO! - PBS About|website=PBS KIDS Announces Premiere Date for New Animated Series READY JET GO! - PBS About}}. She was the science advisor for the 2021 Netflix film Don't Look Up.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hollywood-can-take-on-science-denial-dont-look-up-is-a-great-example/|title = Hollywood Can Take on Science Denial: Don't Look up is a Great Example|website = Scientific American}}
Awards and honors
- NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (2012)
- NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (2011)
- Numerous group achievement awards for Spitzer, WISE, NEOWISE
- Lew Allen Award for Excellence (2010)
- NASA Graduate Student Research Program Fellowship (2001–2003)
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (1996–1999){{Cite web|url=https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Mainzer/|title=Science - Structure of the Universe (3266): People: Amy Mainzer|last=Mainzer|first=Amy|website=science.jpl.nasa.gov|access-date=April 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615182237/https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Mainzer/|archive-date=June 15, 2018|url-status=dead}}
- Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (2025){{cite web|url=https://aas.org/press/aas-names-24-new-fellows-2025|title=AAS Names 24 New Fellows for 2025|date=January 13, 2025|publisher=American Astronomical Society|access-date=2025-01-18}}
= Asteroid =
Asteroid 234750 Amymainzer, discovered by astronomers of the NEAT program at Palomar Observatory in 2002, was named after her.{{cite web |title=234750 Amymainzer (2002 NX69) |work= Minor Planet Center |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=234750 |access-date=22 October 2018}} The official {{MoMP|234750|naming citation}} was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 July 2010 ({{small|M.P.C. 71353}}).{{cite web |title=MPC/MPO/MPS Archive |work=Minor Planet Center |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html |access-date = 22 October 2018}}
Asteroid 251627 Joyceearl was named after her grandparents. {{JPL|251627}}{{·}}{{LoMP|251627|251627}}
Select publications
- {{Cite Q|Q59759296}}
- {{Cite Q|Q59246117}}
- {{Cite Q|Q56423853}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|3185069}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200825/https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/faculty/amy-mainzer Amy Mainzer] at the [https://www.lpl.arizona.edu Lunar and Planetary Laboratory]
- {{cite web |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=335 |title=A Voyage of Discovery with Amy Mainzer |author=Jasmin Ionescu |publisher=JPL Education Office |access-date=December 26, 2013 |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227050338/http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=335 |url-status=dead }}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2018}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainzer, Amy}}
Category:American women astronomers
Category:California Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Stanford University alumni
Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Category:Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Category:University of Arizona people
Category:American women planetary scientists