Heidi B. Hammel joined The Planetary Society's Board of Directors in 2005. A Senior Research Scientist with the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, Hammel herself lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
She received her undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982 and her Ph.D. in physics and astronomy from the University of Hawaii in 1988. After a post-doctoral position at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, California), Hammel returned to MIT, where she spent nearly nine years as a Principal Research Scientist in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
Hammel primarily studies outer planets and their satellites, with a focus on observational techniques. Hammel received the 2002 American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences (AAS/DPS) Sagan Medal for outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public .
NASA's funding goes into exploration, science and aeronautics, explains Heidi Hammel.
Heidi Hammel says we need to raise the bar in science education.
Heidi Hammel says astronomers should be well-rounded especially in math, but no one looks for straight A’s.
Heidi Hammel's team of scientists put the Hubble Space Telescope "back on the map" when they captured the dramatic collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Hubble performed "beautifully, flawlessly, and we...
As other planets have demonstrated, says Heidi Hammel, the threat is real. For Earth, an early warning system is critical.
The dark matter conundrum will occupy us for a long time.
Heidi Hammel believes religion and science are not mutually exclusive.
There's a whole dynamism in these planets that Heidi Hammel did not expect.
Heidi Hammel says we need to attack the problem on a societal and governmental scale.
Heidi Hammel says reallocating money toward science could do us a lot of good.