Alyssa Mills
Degree
MSSpecialty
- Planetary Science
- Geophysics
Bio
Education
- B.S., Geology with Honors, University of Maryland, 2018
- B.S., Astronomy, University of Maryland, 2018
- Geological Field Camp, University of St. Andrews, Summer 2018
Courses Taught
- GEO 101 Dynamic Earth Laboratory
Research Interests
My research interests are primarily magnetic fields and geodynamics of icy bodies. I typically use modeling to better understand the interior and geophysics of the bodies. This involves first looking at the surface features as they indicate clues about their formation and interactions with the interior. I have previously conducted research on cryovolcanism on Europa (my work at NASA Goddard) and the formation history of Sputnik Planitia on Pluto (my undergraduate thesis) through flexure models, quantifying elastic thickness and heat flux.
Current Projects
I am currently studying the magnetic fields through inversion models of Mercury and Ganymede to better understand their dynamos and their sources of their magnetic fields. Studying both bodies allows a new comparison between terrestrial and icy worlds and whether similarities exist or should exist. This may have implications why some bodies should or should not have a magnetic field.