Bobcat Stories

In March, two Bosque School students, Brooklyn (‘26) and Violet (‘27), traveled to Houston to participate in the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC). For 57 years, LPSC has been convening the lunar and planetary science community to showcase the latest science, research, and discoveries in the field. More than 2000 planetary scientists and students attended from all over the world. Accompanied by Samantha Williams, science department leader and middle school math and science teacher, Violet and Brooklyn presented a poster that represented research they conducted in partnership with their mentor, Dr. Tony Gargano, of the University of New Mexico’s Institute of Meteoritics, and the Center for Stable Isotopes, a longtime Bosque School partner.

Brooklyn’s paper was titled “Endogenous Alteration Features in Fayalite-Rich Lunar Meteorites,” and showcased research that also formed the basis of her senior capstone project, which she presented to the Bosque School community at Senior Colloquium in April. Her team studied three unusual meteorite samples using backscattered electron imaging to analyze their composition and discern their geological history. They are on the edge of an important discovery, as features on the meteorite show signs of water alteration that may not have occurred on Earth, raising the question of whether there was water on the moon. Brooklyn plans to continue this research. She was proud to have presented at such a high level among graduate and postgraduate students at the conference and feels increased confidence in herself and her research.

Violet investigated the relationships between graphite-metal-silicate in her research, which was titled “Microtomography of Metal-Graphite-Silicate Relationships in the Ureilite Kenna.” Her team used a Zeiss Xradia Context MicroCT at UNM’s Nanomaterials Characterization Facility to create scans that can be turned into a 3D reconstruction of the sample, ureilite Kenna.  She was amazed to be among people deeply interested in the subject and enjoyed the chance to present her research to such a knowledgeable audience.

Brooklyn and Violet were the only high school students who presented at the conference. We are so proud of them and eager to see where their passion for this research leads them next.