General Information :: Call for Presentation :: Keynote Address :: Exhibitors

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Mid-Canada AOAC is proud to introduce our keynote speaker:

Dr. Ed Cloutis

Dr. Ed Cloutis is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Winnipeg. He is also Director of the University's Planetary Spectrophotometer Facility, a state-of-the-art laboratory to support mapping the geology of planetary surfaces. He is a Participating Scientist Collaborator on the Mars Science Laboratory Mission. He is also a Co-investigator on the NASA-Canadian Space Agency OSIRIS-REx mission designed to bring a sample of an asteroid back to Earth, and the future Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Selene-2 lunar lander/rover mission. His work in planetary science was recognized with the naming of asteroid 6081 Cloutis by the International Astronomical Union.

Dr. Cloutis’ keynote address will be made during lunch and will be titled:

Exploring Mars with the Curiosity rover: analytical capabilities and latest results
The Mars Science Laboratory rover (Curiosity) is exploring Gale crater on the planet's surface. It is equipped with a suite of analytical instruments designed to determine the past habitability of the planet. The suite of science instruments investigate various aspects of the planet, such as the past or current presence of water, atmospheric composition (for indications of past or present life), and radiation environment.
This talk will describe the various instruments on the rover, how data from multiple instruments is combined to provide a self-consistent picture of past and present conditions, and latest results from the rover.