Anita Cochran (astronomer)

Anita L. Cochran is an American astronomer, planetary scientist, and senior research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin.[1] She is also the assistant director for research support at the McDonald Observatory.[2] She focuses on the study of primitive bodies in the solar system and the composition of comets.[3]

Anita L. Cochran
Born
New York, New York
CitizenshipUnited States
Alma materCornell University,
University of Texas at Austin, (masters, Ph.D.)
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy
InstitutionsUniversity of Texas at Austin

Early life and education

Cochran was born in New York City[4] and raised on Long Island.[5] She earned a bachelor's degree in Physics from Cornell University in 1976. She then went on to the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed a master's degree in Astronomy in 1979 and her PhD in Astronomy in 1982.[3]

Career

In her astronomy career, Cochran has taken on numerous high-level leadership roles. She served, for instance, as the chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society from 1995 to 1996[6] and a committee member from 1989-1992.[7] She has also served on several committees for the National Research Council,[1][8] including the Committee on Planetary and Lunar Exploration[9] (COMPLEX). She was a co-investigator on the Comet Nucleus Tour, or CONTOUR, mission[4][10] and on the imaging team for NASA's Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby Mission.[1]

She is currently a member of the International Astronomical Union[11] and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Observatory Council.[1]

Personal life

Anita Cochran is married to fellow astronomer Bill Cochran.[4]

References
  1. "UT Experts : University Communications : The University of Texas at Austin". experts.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  2. "University of Texas at Austin Department of Astronomy".
  3. "Anita Cochran - Astronomy". www.as.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  4. "Cochran | McDonald Observatory". mcdonaldobservatory.org. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  5. "Anita Cochran | People". NASA Solar System Exploration. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  6. "Past DPS Officers | Division for Planetary Sciences". dps.aas.org. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  7. "Past DPS Committee Members | Division for Planetary Sciences". dps.aas.org. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  8. Front Matter | A Scientific Assessment of a New Technology Orbital Telescope | The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/9295.
  9. APPENDIX: PARTICIPATING DISCIPLINE COMMITTEES | Scientific Opportunities in the Human Exploration of Space | The National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/9188.
  10. "Anita Cochran: Build Collaborations". Women in Planetary Science: Female Scientists on Careers, Research, Space Science, and Work/Life Balance. 2010-09-28. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  11. "International Astronomical Union | IAU". www.iau.org. Retrieved 2017-11-21.


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