Glenn Sterenborg

Hi there! I am currently a fourth year PhD student in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. My interests range from remote sensing, geophysical fluid dynamics, planetary magnetic fields and in particular the convergence of these fields.

Working with Jeremy Bloxham and Dimitar Sasselov, I am currently analyzing magnetic field data from the Cassini probe in orbit around Saturn using novel analysis techniques. In so doing I am hoping to answer questions we have regarding Saturn's interior magnetic field: Can we detect any non-axisymmetric signatures in the data, what is the rate of rotation of Saturn's interior, what role do external magnetic fields play in determining this and is there a link between Saturn's zonal flows and its magnetic field generation?

I am also investigating the magnetic fields of Super-Earths, the conditions for the presence of a dynamo and the energetics involved.

In the future I hope to investigate these and other questions using numerical dynamo simulations as well. These questions will be the main focus of my PhD. Having started out as an aerospace engineer I still maintain strong interests in habitation in space and on other planets as well as space policy.

PROJECTS

Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences / Harvard University / 20 Oxford Street / Cambridge / MA 02138 / U.S.A. / Telephone: +1 617 496 5132 / Fax: +1 617 495 7660 / E-mail: mgsteren at fas dot harvard dot edu