Elizabeth Swanner, associate professor in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, investigates Midwestern lakes that share common features with ancient Martian lakes and Earth’s past oceans. Specifically, she looks at how minerals form in lakes and what their presence in ancient Earth sediments or old Martian lakebeds can tell us about past microbial life on Earth or the possibility of life on Mars.
The Cassling Innovation Award was established by Dr. Randal Cassling and Lori Cassling to facilitate novel faculty research projects, especially as they relate to interdisciplinary research and scholarship.
