Kennda Lynch

American astrobiologist and geomicrobiologist

Kennda Lian Lynch is an American astrobiologist, a person who studies life on other planets.[1][2] She studies extremophiles.[2][1] She works with with NASA.[3]

Kennda Lynch
A photo of Dr. Kennda Lynch in the field, examining materials in an ancient lake bed
Lynch at a Mars analog field site in Pilot Valley, Utah, U.S.
Born
United States
Scientific career
FieldsAstrobiology, science, engineering
InstitutionsUniversities Space. Research Association - Lunar and Planetary Institute, NASA Johnson Space Center, Georgia Institute of Technology/University of Montana, Jacobs Sverdrup/ Lockheed Martin Space Operations, International Space Station Program, Abbott Laboratories, The Boeing Company
Academic advisorsDr. David Klaus (grad), Dr. Junko Munakata Marr (grad), Dr. John Spear (grad)

Works change

She identifies places on Earth that might be like places on other planets. She looks at life in those places on Earth and predicts what life would look like on other planets.[4] Lynch also looks at fossils and other signs of past life. She hopes to help us identify what the same signs of life might look like on other planets.[4][5] Much of Lynch's research has been in the Pilot Valley Basin in the Great Salt Desert of northwestern Utah, U.S.[6] In ancient times that area had a lake. Mars has a similar ancient lake called Jezero Crater.[7] Because of Lynch's research in the Pilot Valley Basin, NASA decided to land the Perseverance Rover mission at Jezero Crater.[7] Jim Greene, Chief Scientist at NASA, called Lynch "a perfect expert to be involved in the Perseverance rover."[8] She is also helping to select a landing site for NASA's first manned mission to Mars in 2035.[9] Lynch has appeared in two television series. She also appeared in The New York Times,[7] Nature,[10] Scientific American,[11] and Popular Science.[6] Science magazine Cell Press called Lynch one of the most inspiring Black scientists in the United States.[12]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 Oakes, Kelly (2019-06-18). "Ethiopia's Strange Volcanic Landscapes Are Irresistible to Scientists (and Tourists)". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Astrobiologist: We should gene-hack new traits into Mars settlers". Futurism. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  3. Gary, Alex. "1991 Young American: Kennda Lynch". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Smith, Yvette (2021-02-02). "Astrobiologist Kennda Lynch Uses Analogs on Earth to Find Life on Mars". NASA. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  5. Emily, Scott (2017-05-10). "Exploring new worlds: GE alumna Kennda Lynch creates a career in astrobiology". The Grainger College of Engineering - University of Illinois. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Kaufman, Mark D. (15 February 2017). "Aliens are probably out there, according to Winston Churchill". Popular Science. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chang, Kenneth (2020-07-28). "How NASA Found the Ideal Hole on Mars to Land In". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  8. Daines, Gary (2020-08-14). "Looking For Life in Ancient Lakes" (Season 4, Episode 15 ). Gravity Assist. NASA. Podcast. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  9. San Miguel, Renay (2019-02-26). "Searching for Life on Mars and Beyond". ScienceMatters. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  10. Witze, Alexandra (2020-07-30). "NASA has launched the most ambitious Mars rover ever built: here's what happens next". Nature. 584 (7819): 15–16. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02257-w. PMID 32733099.
  11. O'Callaghan, Jonathan. "Summer on Mars: NASA's Perseverance Rover Is One of Three Missions Ready to Launch". Scientific American. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  12. Jr, Antentor O. Hinton. "100 more inspiring Black scientists in America". crosstalk.cell.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.