Mary Urquhart, Ph.D. School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Assistant Professor
A leading advocate of students and space research, Dr. Urquhart is dedicated to finding innovative ways to bring meaningful space science and physics into K-12 classrooms.
For more than a decade, she has mentored science students and conducted teacher workshops. As a planetary scientist specializing in the moon and Mars, she recently created a state-of-the-art lunar thermal model helpful in deriving surface properties from temperatures during the long, lunar night. The model could help NASA’s efforts to avoid rocks and other hazards for future landers on our moon.
Meanwhile, she continues to study the mental models of students and teachers that impact the learning of astronomy and physics, and other questions that impact both students and science. Dr. Urquhart is the co-director of UTeach Dallas, a teacher certification program designed to shape some of the university’s outstanding science, mathematics, and technology students of today into talented teachers of tomorrow. She is also serves as the co-lead for Education and Public Outreach on the joint NASA/Air Force/UT Dallas CINDI mission, exploring Earth’s space weather environment.
Urquhart received her Ph.D. in astrophysical planetary and atmospheric sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
News Coverage
PlanetaryScientist Named to NASA Mars Education Panel
Planetary Scientist to Discuss Understanding Scale in Solar System
Change in Pluto's Status Opens Door to Teach Students Scientific Study
Updated: December 17, 2008
