Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

When water erupts on the ocean moons of Jupiter and Saturn, it could freeze into fluffy ice with the texture of a croissant, presenting a hazard for future lander missions.

“If the surface is really covered with this type of highly porous, fragile water ice, that would definitely pose some serious engineering issues,” says Ingrid Daubar, a DEEPS Associate Professor of Research and a scientist on NASA’s Europa Clipper orbiter mission. “We’d have to re-envision the types of landing mechanisms we thought might work on Europa.”

Fluffy ice could imperil spacecraft landings on ocean moons Water erupted from cryovolcanoes may freeze into thick but fragile layers on Europa and Enceladus

Congrats again to all our recent graduates! Please enjoy these photos from the DEEPS Commencement Ceremony!

This week, a parade of scientists is spending 50 hours straight speaking about the importance of weather and climate research in the United States. ...Speakers include meteorologist Jeff Masters and climate scientists Adam Sobel of Columbia University and Kim Cobb of Brown University DEEPS and the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society.

The livestream is on now, from 4 p.m. EST Monday, June 1st, ending at 6 p.m. EST on Wednesday, June 3rd.

The 50-Hour Livestream That Aims to #SaveAmericasForecasts - Eos This week, a parade of scientists will spend 50 hours straight speaking about the importance of weather and climate research in the United States.

Congratulations to all the Brown students graduating today! 🎓🥂 Cheers to you, for all your academic adventures, and the friends made along the way. We are immensely proud of all the hard work you've accomplished here, and we can't wait to see what you do next!

Visiting campus for Brown's Commencement Weekend? Check out our new Campus Geology Field Guide!

This walking-tour style guide was created by DEEPS graduate students Hannah Shabtian and Emily Fischer and their Pre-College class as a resource for exploring campus through a geological lens.

“If you have never really thought about rocks before, you can use this guide to learn a bit of campus history, the basic rock types, and discover where to find them on campus.” says Hannah. “Ultimately, the goal is to have fun, explore campus through a new perspective, and learn a little bit more about the world around us.”

Learn more and download your own copy from our website: https://deeps.brown.edu/news/2026-05-15/geo-guide
OR grab a printed Guide from the Brown Visitors Center, or during our DEEPS Open House, May 22nd.

DEEPS Dive 2026 was a roaring success! In case you missed it, we recently hosted the 2nd Annual DEEPS Dive Student Research Symposium, a student-run conference organized by department graduate students. This year featured research talks and posters by a wide range of students, keynotes by Dr. Stephen Porder and Dr. David Koweek, a special art show, awards, a special lunch roundtable, and much more!

Learn more and find more photo highlights on our website: https://deeps.brown.edu/graduate/deeps-dive-student-research-symposium

📷 Photos by Janie Levin