Heidi Hammel

Planetary Astronomer

(1960- )

By Erin Waters

About Heidi Hammel…• Lives in Ridgefield Connecticut with

husband and 3 kids• Studied at Massachusetts Institute of

Technology in 1982 • The University of Hawaii in 1988• Senior Research Scientist and co-Director

of Research at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado

• Interdisciplinary Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=heidi+hammel&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1680&bih=920&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnso&tbnid=lUDnIVruzEDlzM:&imgrefurl=http://newscenter.nmsu.edu/news/article/2332/&docid=n-NebXk51pdvIM&w=400&h=600&ei=pf54Tuy5F-fm0QHP6MjuDA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=293&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=93&start=0&ndsp=51&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&tx=49&ty=67

What she studies & Why

• Worked with Hubble, Gemini, and Keck telescopes

http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/opo9428a/

What she studies & Why

• Worked with Hubble, Gemini, and Keck telescopes

• Main focus on Neptune and Uranus

• Why? It’s fun, new, and exciting!

Accomplishments

• 1996 Urey Prize from the American Astronomical Society

• Exploratorium 1998 Public Understanding of Science Award

• 2002 Sagan Medal of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences

• Public Understanding of Science Award

Is she a role model?• As a student she had people telling her she wasn’t

good enough, and she proved them wrong through hard work

• EPO- Education and Public Outreach- "Live from the Hubble Space Telescope.” Quote: “Get out there and find the things you

like to do, and do them well, and do them for the people, and that will be a very great way to do successful EPO.”

• None of us is capable of “doing it all” in isolation.