#SoCaltech: Bethany Ehlmann

“I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and I was fortunate to be surrounded by nature. It’s a rich place with vibrant forests and swamps. I have always been interested in the natural world, fascinated by the stars, but also, by ecology, botany and oceanography; those complex living and nonliving natural systems that shape our world. And so, growing up, some of my biggest influences were watching PBS, NOVA, National Geographic, Nature, hearing Stephen Hawking explain deep black holes, seeing geologists explain deep time, going deep into the depths of the ocean, or exploring forests that hadn’t been explored before. It was that element of exploration and the natural world that really drew me to science in the first place.”

Bethany Ehlmann, professor of planetary science and the Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair and director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies, delivered her recent Watson Lecture on the pathbreaking goals of Lunar Trailblazer, a small-satellite mission that will delve into one of the most surprising discoveries of the 2000s: water on the Moon.

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.