Melissa Rice

Assistant Professor

Member of the WWU Geology faculty since 2014. Melissa shares a joint position with Physics/Astonomy.

Education

Ph.D. - Cornell University (2012)

B.A. - Wellesley College (2005)

Areas of Expertise

Planetary geology; remote sensing; robotic space exploration

Courses Taught

Planetary Geology
Introduction to Geology
Introduction to Astronomy

Selected Publications

M.S. Rice, J.F. Bell III, S. Gupta, N.H. Warner, K. Goddard, R.B. Anderson (2013), A Detailed Geologic Characterization of Eberswalde Crater, Mars, Mars, 8, 15-59.

M.S. Rice, E.A. Cloutis, J.F. Bell III, S.A. Mertzman, D.L. Bish, M. Craig, B. Mountain, R.W. Renaut, B. Gautason (2013), Reflectance Spectra Diversity of Silica-Rich Materials: Sensitivity to Environment and Implications for Detections on Mars, Icarus, 223, 499-533.

J.P. Grotzinger et al., including M.S. Rice (2013), A Habitable Fluvio-Lacustrine Environment at Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars, Science, 342, doi:10.1126/science.1242777.

D.T. Vaniman et al., including M.S. Rice (2013), Mineralogy of a Mudstone on Mars, Science, 342, doi:10.1126/science.1243480.

S.W. Squyres et al., including M.S. Rice (2012), Ancient Impact and Aqueous Processes at Endeavour Crater, Mars, Science, 336, 570.

M.S. Rice, S. Gupta, J.F. Bell III, N.H. Warner, Influence of Fault-Controlled Topography on Fluvio-Deltaic Sedimentary Systems in Eberswalde Crater, Mars (2011), Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, 16, L16203.

R.E. Arvidson et al., including M.S. Rice (2011), Opportunity Mars Rover Mission: Overview and Selected Results from Purgatory Ripple to Traverses to Endeavour Crater, J. Geophys. Res., 116, E7.

Accepting MS Graduate Applications

I am currently looking for graduate students to work on a variety of projects pertaining to the geology of Mars. Example projects include: using imaging and spectroscopic datasets from the Opportunity, Spirit and/or Curiosity rovers to characterize aqueous alteration; combining orbital imaging, topography and hyperspectral datasets to characterize the stratigraphy and surface composition of key sites on Mars (including potential landing sites for the Mars 2020 rover mission); or characterizing Mars analog materials in the laboratory in order to better interpret spacecraft data. As a collaborator on Opportunity's Pancam instrument team and Curiosity's Mastcam instrument team, I also have opportunities to involve my graduate students in Mars rover operations. If you are interested in joining my research group in Fall 2015, please contact me for more information on potential projects and the application process. Applications are due on January 15, 2015, and the Graduate School's requirements are provided here.

Note that full admission will require the following:

a B.S. or B.A. in Geology or a subdiscipline of Geology
- (we will admit exceptional applicants not having a geology degree with the understanding that they fulfill departmental course requirements)
Passing grades in all the following courses:
- geology field camp
- one year of college chemistry
- one year of calculus-based physics
- one year of college math including two quarters of calculus.
- Mineralogy, Petrology (or equivalent such as Earth Materials)
- Structural geology
- Historical Geology, Sedimentology, and/or Stratigraphy
- Geomorphology
a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the last 90-quarter or 60-semesters credits taken as an undergraduate