Born: October 21, 1928 (New York City)
Biography:
Margaret Galland Kivelson (born October 21, 1928) is an American space physicist, planetary scientist, and Distinguished Professor Emerita of Space Physics at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is widely recognized for her extensive research on the magnetospheres of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn, as well as her contributions to the understanding of Jupiter’s Galilean moons. With a career spanning several decades, Kivelson has made significant advancements in the field of space physics, leaving a lasting impact on the scientific community.
Born in New York City, Kivelson grew up in a family that valued education and intellectual pursuits. Her father, a medical doctor, and her mother, who held an undergraduate degree in physics, instilled in her a passion for learning from a young age. Despite the prevailing gender norms of the time, which discouraged women from pursuing careers in the physical sciences, Kivelson remained determined to follow her passion for science.
After graduating from high school, Kivelson enrolled in Radcliffe College, Harvard’s women’s college, in 1946. She obtained her A.B. degree from Radcliffe in 1950 and went on to complete her master’s degree in 1952. Kivelson’s commitment to her studies and her exceptional aptitude for physics earned her a coveted spot in Harvard’s doctoral program, where she was awarded her Ph.D. in physics in 1957.
Kivelson’s early research focused on the scattering of high-energy electrons, and her doctoral thesis provided a groundbreaking expression for the cross-section of forward scattering in the Coulomb interaction. Her work laid the foundation for further advancements in the understanding of electron scattering.
From 1955 to 1971, Kivelson worked as a consultant in physics at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. During her time at RAND, she delved into the interactions of plasmas and electron gases, employing mathematical techniques akin to those used in quantum electrodynamics. Together with Don DuBois, she derived a correction to Landau’s relation for the damping excitations of unmagnetized plasma, a significant contribution to the field.
In 1967, motivated by her desire for a university setting to conduct scientific research, Kivelson joined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an assistant research geophysicist. She quickly rose through the ranks and became a highly respected member of the faculty. Throughout her tenure at UCLA, Kivelson played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of planetary magnetospheres.
One of Kivelson’s most notable accomplishments was her role as the Principal Investigator for the magnetometer on the Galileo Orbiter, a NASA mission that explored Jupiter’s magnetosphere. For eight years, Kivelson’s groundbreaking research and data acquisition provided invaluable insights into the physics of this enigmatic planet. Additionally, she served as a Co-Investigator on the FGM (magnetometer) of the NASA-ESA Cluster mission, further expanding our knowledge of Earth’s magnetosphere.
In recent years, Kivelson has remained actively engaged in the scientific community. She is a Co-Investigator on NASA’s Themis mission, where she continues to investigate Earth’s magnetosphere. Additionally, Kivelson serves as the magnetometer Team Leader for NASA’s Europa Clipper Mission, offering her expertise to unravel the mysteries of Jupiter’s intriguing moon. She is also a member of the Cassini magnetometer team and participates in the magnetometer team for the European JUICE mission to Jupiter.
Kivelson’s contributions to space physics extend beyond her research endeavors. She has published over 350 research papers and co-edited a widely used textbook on space physics titled Introduction to Space Physics. Her dedication to sharing knowledge and mentorship has inspired countless young scientists and enriched the field of space physics.
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