Research Areas
Atmospheric Sciences
We study extreme weather, climate change, and their impacts on both ecosystems and modern society.
Environmental Geoscience
We use biology, chemistry, geology, and physics to understand how the Earth System supports such a diversity of life and how human behavior is impacting this system.
Geodata Science Initiative
Data science is the fourth and the newest paradigm of science. In Geodata Science Initiative, we conduct transdisciplinary research, merging or articulating EAPS subject matters with technical areas in data science: statistical and machine learning methods and models, algorithms for the models and methods, and computational environments for data analysis.
Geology and Geophysics
We study the processes that shape our planet, from the building of mountains and oil-bearing sedimentary basins, to the flow of warm rocks and cold glaciers, to the triggering of earthquakes.
Planetary Science
We study the evolution of the solar system and how planets evolve over time due to impacts, tectonics, and atmospheric processes, with an eye to the potential for past and future habitability.
Research News
'Twister,' 'Twisters' and the actual practice of storm chasing
07-22-2024
NPR — A plucky meteorology heroine; a male rival with no shortage of hubris; and some very, very big storms: that's the basic formula behind the new disaster action movie Twisters, which follows storm chasers around Oklahoma amid a tornado outbreak. It's a standalone sequel to the 1996 film Twister, a box-office hit in its day which also spurred a lot of real-life research into severe storms. NPR's Consider This Podcast discusses the actual practice of storm chasing with Prof. Robin Tanamachi of Purdue EAPS.
Accidentally exposed yellowish-green crystals reveal ‘mind-blowing’ finding on Mars, scientists say
07-22-2024
CNN — The Curiosity rover has made its most unusual find to date on Mars: rocks made of pure sulfur. And it all began when the 1-ton rover happened to drive over a rock and crack it open, revealing yellowish-green crystals never spotted before on the red planet. “My jaw dropped when I saw the image of the sulfur,” said Briony Horgan, co-investigator on the Perseverance rover mission and professor of planetary science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “Pure elemental sulfur is a very weird finding because on Earth we mostly find it in places like hydrothermal vents. Think Yellowstone! So it’s a big mystery to me as to how this rock formed in Mt. Sharp.”
NASA Awards 10 Planetary Instrument Technology Development Grants
07-22-2024
NASA — NASA has made 10 new awards through the Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO) program, including Prof. Roger Wiens of Purdue EAPS. The PISCASSO23 projects will expand NASA’s portfolio of technology available for the development of missions exploring a wide range of environments, from the hot surface of Mercury to the far-flung icy worlds on the edges of the Solar System. These technologies will help answer key questions about the origins of our solar system, the search for life, and the study of our planetary neighborhood.
07-22-2024
INVERSE — Tornadoes appear around the world, but are most common in the United States. And they’ve been main plot points in films throughout the past century. Perhaps among the most popular is the 1996 classic, Twister. Now, 28 years later, Twisters, a successor film of sorts and now in theaters, leans into the same elusive lure tornadoes bring. The central premise of Twisters is that, somehow, humans can throw chemicals into a tornado to absorb the tropical moisture that gives rise to these storms and thereby pull the plug on the funnel. But how much of the Twisters movie is based on real science? We spoke with two weather experts, including Prof. Robin Tanamachi of Purdue EAPS, who say it's a lot of wishful thinking.
These Tornado Chasers and Scientists Hunt Real Twisters
07-19-2024
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN — Chasers will always be a vital part of tornado detection efforts, but now drones, artificial intelligence and supercomputers are all helping meteorologists figure out just how these terrible storms come together. Prof. Robin Tanamachi, of Purdue EAPS, is highlighted in this video by Scientific American.