An artist's impression of the inner region of an active galactic nucleus with an accretion disk around the central supermassive black hole, and a jet being launched.

MCSS 50th Anniversary Symposium

Celebrating 50 Years of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences

Join us for our 50th Anniversary Symposium

May 20-22, 2025

The McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences was founded in November 1974 through a munificent endowment from Mr. James S. McDonnell through the McDonnell Aerospace Foundation, under the stewardship of William H. Danforth, Chancellor, and Robert M. Walker, McDonnell Professor of Physics, who served as the founding center director until 1999 and guided it to academic excellence and built an international reputation. The Center promotes distinction in space science research at Washington University in St. Louis and training of the next generation of leaders in space science. 

In May 2025, the Center will be celebrating fifty years of playing a key role at Washington University through endowed professorships, acquisition of sophisticated instrumentation, support of faculty involvement in space science missions, supporting postdoctoral and graduate student fellowships and undergraduate interns, seeding innovative research, administering visiting scientist programs, and fostering wide-reaching collaborations.

Join us as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences and look ahead to new opportunities to advance knowledge of our Solar System and our universe.

Brookings Hall at Washington University in St. Louis

Schedule and Events

All talks will be held in the Knight Center on the WashU Danforth Campus. MCSS will be providing breakfasts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday. There will be a welcome reception on Monday evening in Rudolph Hall, a poster session on Tuesday evening, and a symposium dinner at the McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park on Wednesday.

Complete Schedule

Call for Contributions

If you would like to present a poster or talk at the symposium, please complete the form linked below. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 21, 2025.

Call for Contributions

Symposium Themes

As we celebrate five decades of groundbreaking research and innovation, we invite you to join us in exploring themes that highlight the past, present, and future of space sciences. Each of these five topics will be featured in dedicated half-day sessions, allowing for an in-depth and enriching experience.

Cosmic Origins

Unravel the mysteries of our universe by exploring the fundamental elements that shape its structure. Topics include the building blocks of the solar system, stars, and interstellar space; the processes of nucleosynthesis; the Big Bang; foundational principles of cosmology; and the intricate field of cosmochemistry.

Early Evolution

Journey through the early stages of cosmic and planetary evolution. Examine protoplanetary disks, the dynamic evolution of the young Solar System, the role of primitive and primordial bodies, cosmic ray acceleration, the phenomena of cosmic inflation, and the life cycles of ancient stars.

Building Worlds

Gain insights into the creation and evolution of planets and their environments. Discuss Earth’s formation, the development of terrestrial planets and their satellites, the characteristics of exoplanet atmospheres and demographics, and the factors influencing planetary habitability, including the delivery of essential volatiles.

Explosions and Impacts

Study the dramatic events that have profoundly shaped our universe. Topics include black holes, asteroid impacts, the formation of the Moon, the effects of energetic particle irradiation, neutron-star mergers, the consequences of space weathering, supernovae, active galactic nuclei, the mysteries of pulsars and fast-radio bursts, and both planetary and terrestrial volcanism.

What's Next? - Future missions, great unknowns in astrophysics and planetary science, dark matter, the next great observatories in space and on Earth, development of novel sensors for astronomy and planetary science.

Look ahead to the future of space exploration and scientific discovery. Discuss future missions, address the great unknowns in astrophysics and planetary science, the elusive nature of dark matter, the development of the next great observatories both in space and on Earth, and the advancement of novel sensors designed for astronomy and planetary science.

Organizing Committee

Accommodations

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Knight Center.

You may reserve your room using the link below or by contacting the Knight Center hotel front desk directly
Phone: 314-933-9400
Email: knightfrontdesk@olin.wustl.edu.

Please refer to the
MCSS 50th Anniversary Symposium Room Block.

Reserve Online
Knight Center Gallery

Confirmed Speakers

Roger Blandford, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Robert Caldwell, Dartmouth University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Vikram Dwarkadas, University of Chicago, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Megan Eckart, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Pierre Haenecour, University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
Brandon Johnson, Purdue University, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Marc Kamionkowski, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Julie McEnery, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Kevin McKeegan, University of California Los Angeles
Jeffrey Plaut, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab
Zach Sharp, University of New Mexico, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences
Paul Schenk, Lunar and Planetary Institute
Tomo Usui, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Department of Solar System Science
Meenakshi Wadhwa, Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration

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