Kerstin Lehnert1
1Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, United States
Biography:
Kerstin Lehnert is Doherty Senior Research Scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and Director of the Geoinformatics Research Group. Kerstin’s work centers on the development and operation of community-driven data infrastructure for the Earth and space sciences and, in particular, on using cyberinfrastructure to improve access and sharing of data generated by the study of physical samples. Kerstin leads the IEDA data facility that operates data services for sample-based data, specifically data systems for geochemistry and petrology including EarthChem and the Library for Experimental Phase Relations (NSF funded); the Astromaterials Data System (NASA funded); and the System for Earth Sample Registration (NSF funded). Kerstin is currently member of the NOAA Science Advisory Board’s Data Archive & Access Requirements Working Group and of the Science Advisory Board of the Distributed Information System for Scientific Collections DISSCo. She has been a member of the NASEM Division Committee for the Gulf Research Program; chair of the EarthCube Council of Data Facilities; President of the IGSN e.V., member of the NSF Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure; member of the Board of Directors of the American Geophysical Union AGU; and President of the AGU Earth and Space Science Informatics Focus Group.
Abstract:
Samples of extraterrestrial materials (astromaterials) are a unique resource for humanity to gain knowledge about the universe and the origin of our solar system, Earth, and life on Earth. Immense financial resources and human effort have been and are being invested into collecting precious samples from planetary bodies – Moon, Mars, asteroids and comets, cosmic dust, and solar wind. These samples are analyzed in laboratories around the globe, generating data that represent the ultimate foundation for new knowledge and scientific discoveries. It is thus surprising that until just a few years ago, these data did not have a permanent home where they were propery curated and archived for use in future research. Driven by US government policy and NASA’s commitment to Open Science and FAIR data, the Astromaterials Data System (Astromat) was developed and is now successfully operating as NASA’s primary archive for laboratory analytical data of astromaterials samples. This presentation will summarize and analyze Astromat’s young history. It will offer insights into the successes and challenges of developing, operating, and growing adoption of domain-specific data services that aim to optimize reusability of the data and to foster a culture change in cosmochemistry.