UNH Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space - UNH EOS

🎉 Congratulations to three of our University of New Hampshire ESRC and NREN/NRESS researchers for being in the top 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ in the U.S. ranking of Best Scientists in the Field of Environmental Sciences for 2026! 🌎🏅

Jack Dibb (ESRC/NRESS), Stephen Frolking (ESRC/NRESS), and William McDowell (NREN/NRESS) were all honored with this great achievement by Research.com.

See the full rankings list ➡ https://research.com/scientists-rankings/environmental-sciences/us


UNH Research UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering UNH Earth Sciences UNH Engineering & Physical Sciences UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture

Our annual University of New Hampshire Center for Research and Education (CARE) Marine Acoustics, and Short Course wrapped up last week at our Durham campus. The course is run by Dr. Anthony Lyons, Associate Director for Research for CARE, and Research Professor in the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping / Joint Hydrographic Center. 🌊🔊🎧

Our participants spent the five days of the course obtaining valuable knowledge about a variety of introductory and review topics relevant for operating and understanding the performance of modern sonar systems. Thank you to all the speakers and attendees for making last week's short course a success!

Learn more ➡ eos.unh.edu/center-acoustics-research-education/education/marine-acoustics-sonar-systems-signal-processing-short-course


UNH School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering UNH Engineering & Physical Sciences UNH Research UNH Students

: Alum Allison Jaynes ’13 Ph.D. is currently an associate professor in the University of Iowa’s Department of Physics and . She did a Q&A with Magazine recently about her present-day research, and her time at the University of New Hampshire with professor Marc Lessard as her advisor.

Some of the questions answered were:

❓ What was it like being part of the rocket lab at UNH?
🚀 The rocket lab was unique in that we did a lot of travel and field campaigns, which is not typical for physics labs. I traveled to both Antarctica and Svalbard (near the North Pole) for the lab work – basically the ends of the Earth! It’s exciting and also very comforting to be part of a lab like this. The intensity of the work and the time traveling makes the team very close and it starts to feel like a family away from home. I’ve also seen the most beautiful landscape and natural scenes that I could imagine, including fjords under a full moon, a whale skeleton frozen into the Arctic ocean off the coast of Alaska, and Emperor penguins just a few feet from me in Antarctica.

❓ How did UNH contribute to your career and where you are now?
🚀 UNH was a huge driver in the career I have today. I gained so many contacts through the department, and my advisor Professor Lessard in particular, that I was already part of a networking community of researchers before I even left grad school. I also gained the experience to continue on with positions involving hardware and rocket work.

Read the full story in UNH Magazine ➡ magazine.unh.edu/issue/winter-2026/lighting-up-the-skies-and-launching-student-careers


UNH Engineering & Physical Sciences UNH Research UNH Alumni UNH Students WIST (New Hampshire Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)

🎉 Congrats, Erik! University of New Hampshire has appointed Dr. Erik Chapman director of the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering (SMSOE), effective May 25, 2026, Provost Jen Riley announced recently. Chapman, who has served as interim director since February 2025, will continue to serve as director of NH Sea Grant.

"Erik has provided strategic and effective leadership during his time as interim director of the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, while continuing to advance the mission of New Hampshire Sea Grant," Riley said. "He brings a deep understanding of UNH's marine research, a strong record of building partnerships across the university and beyond, and a collaborative approach that has earned the trust of faculty, staff and external stakeholders. I am excited to continue working with Erik as he leads the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering into its next chapter."

"I am honored by the opportunity to continue serving the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering and the broader UNH marine community in this role," Chapman said. "The strength of SMSOE comes from the extraordinary faculty, researchers, staff, students and partners who contribute to its success. I look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen UNH's marine enterprise, support excellence in research, education and outreach, and build on the school's many accomplishments."

Read the full story ➡️ https://universitysystemnh.sharepoint.com/sites/wildcat-insider/SitePages/Chapman-appointed-director-of-School-of-Marine-Science-and-Ocean-Engineering.aspx

What's better than sports, space, and STEM?? Yesterday University of New Hampshire Center research scientist Andrew Jordan had an outreach table at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats "STEM in the Stadium" at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, NH. ⚙️⚾️🎇

The students in attendance enjoyed the various displays and demos, and Andrew's table had constant traffic from an hour before the game through the 7th inning stretch!

On display were the cosmic ray cloud chamber, which shows cosmic ray tracks (the most popular part of the table); a model of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which is celebrating its 17th anniversary on June 18th; a model of CRaTER; and a Moon globe made from LRO imagery. The cloud chamber lets visitors see trails formed by the same space radiation that CRaTER is measuring in orbit around the Moon.

Learn more about the CRaTER mission ➡ https://crater.unh.edu


UNH Engineering & Physical Sciences UNH Research New Hampshire Science Teachers Association (NHSTA)

University of New Hampshire Drs. Meghan Howey and Michael Palace were recently interviewed by geologist and video creator David Pompeani about their new study published in PNAS, “Satellite Thermal Data Applied to Landscape : Mounds in Michigan, 1200 to 1600 CE.” 🗺️🏺🛰️

Using Landsat thermal data, Google Earth Engine, and historical records, their research shows that Native American in Michigan were not placed randomly. Instead, they were often associated with inland lakes that warmed later in spring and cooled later in fall, potentially creating subtle microclimates that supported food resources, maize horticulture, ceremony, memory, and monument building.

Watch the full video ➡ www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZXRcnEZ9VY


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Read the full story here ➡ https://bit.ly/4e5oKmG

What causes lightning?⚡️ Armed with a slew of new instruments, physicists like University of New Hampshire research professor Joseph Dwyer are closing in on one of nature’s oldest mysteries — and finding that storm clouds are seething with violent and unexpected phenomena.

Many of the refugees like Dwyer have devised new ways to pierce the clouds. They’ve seen shooting out X-rays as it zigs and zags, spotted flickering glows of gamma rays coming from thunderclouds, and, very recently, detected hints of bolts traveling in unexpected directions.

By themselves, these extreme subatomic affairs didn’t seem to be abundant enough to account for the brilliant gamma rays lighting up storm clouds. But then Dwyer imagined a baroque process that could allow one avalanche to set off another, and another, and another, all right on top of each other, causing a chain reaction of violent events.

“It’s like taking a microphone and sticking it next to a speaker,” said Dwyer, “It can get really loud quick.”

Read the full story in Quanta Magazine ➡️ www.quantamagazine.org/what-causes-lightning-the-answer-keeps-getting-more-interesting-20260506


UNH Research UNH Engineering & Physical Sciences

"Astronaut Alessandra" has been making the rounds to Space Grant offices around the country, and most recently was her visit to NH Space Grant. 👩‍🚀✨🚀

Alessandra's NH adventures included a tour of University of New Hampshire's Science Center (celebrating EOS' 40th year anniversary) and Mount Washington Observatory for the Space Grant meeting.

Thank you to NH Space Grant for sending her on her journey here. is looking forward to her next adventures with !

More about NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Grant ➡ nasa.gov/learning-resources/national-space-grant-college-and-fellowship-project


UNH Engineering & Physical Sciences UNH Leitzel Center United States GLOBE Office New Hampshire Science Teachers Association (NHSTA)

Check out this article by the New Hampshire Magazine highlighting that Shoals Marine Lab is turning 60 this year!

Link: https://www.nhmagazine.com/60-years-of-appledore-adventure/