Gazing at the night sky conjures deep questions about the universe. Meenakshi Wadhwa, professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration and director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University, invites us to look at the planetary "Rosetta stones" right here on Earth that can give us answers.
Growing up near the foothills of the Himalayas in India, Wadhwa dreamed of becoming a geologist. But as she kept asking bigger and better questions, first as a bachelor’s student in India and then a graduate student in the U.S., it became clear: She didn’t just want to be a geologist; she wanted to become a space geologist, studying meteorites to uncover the mystery of the origins of the Earth.
In her KEDtalk, Wadhwa takes us on her journey of uncovering her purpose, starting as a curious 8-year-old worried about the Earth running out of oxygen to measuring the age of the solar system to near accuracy.
Wadhwa's talk is part of the ASU KEDtalks series. Short for Knowledge Enterprise Development talks, KEDtalks aim to spark ideas, indulge curiosity, and inspire action by highlighting ASU scientists, humanists, social scientists and artists who are driven to find solutions to the universe’s grandest challenges. Tune in monthly to research.asu.edu/kedtalks to discover how the next educational revolution will come about, whether space is the next economic frontier and more.
More Science and technology
Training stellar students to secure semiconductors
In the wetlands of King’s Bay, Georgia, the sail of a nuclear-powered Trident II Submarine laden with sophisticated computer equipment juts out of the marshy waters. In a medical center, a cardiac…
ASU startup Crystal Sonic wins Natcast pitch competition
Crystal Sonic, an Arizona State University startup, won first place and $25,000 at the 2024 Natcast Startup Pitch Competition at the National Semiconductor Technology Center Symposium, or NSTC…
Celebrating '20 Years of Discovery' at ASU’s Biodesign Institute
Editor’s note:The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University continues to celebrate its landmark 20th anniversary with this fifth installment in its "20 Years of Discovery" series. Each…