Riley McGlasson

What are you are studying/what you are interested in studying and/or researching while at Purdue? If you have done internships or other applicable experiences, feel free to include them here. 

My current research interests revolve around how we can use radar to observe ice on other planets. Here at Purdue, I use a combination of observations, modeling, and lab experiments to better understand radar observations of Mars' polar ice caps and investigate what they can tell us about Mars' climate history. I discovered this interest in planetary radar while working as an REU student at the Arecibo Observatory in 2018, performing radar observations of asteroids and developing a 3D model of the near-Earth asteroid 1981 Midas.

What made you want to join the Leading Women Toward Space Careers program?  

I think mentorship is extremely valuable for both mentors and mentees, and I am particularly excited to be able to interact with women at different stages of space careers.

What area would you like to work in after graduating with your Ph.D.? (What career path, interests, opportunities, etc., would you like to accomplish? What field are you interested in?)

I'm keeping my options open to any exciting opportunity that may come my way, but I am especially interested in exploring opportunities within space mission development or public outreach that would allow me to bring my experience to an interdisciplinary team working together to solve broad problems.