Home | Mackenzie White
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ABOUT

A writer and planetary science Ph.D. candidate interested in science journalism, rocks, space, and climate change. 2022 AAAS Mass Media Fellow at Science Friday. Current NASA mission involvement includes LRO Diviner, Mars 2020, and InSight. She loves Mars, the Rocky Mountains, Austin breakfast tacos, and her dog, Rocky.

PUBLICATIONS

Science Writing + Reporting:

Eos:

Marine Life May Be Headed to Higher Latitudes

A Tiny New Device Could Help Find Extraterrestrial Life

Decoding an Ancient Tsunami from the Ground Up

Eiko Kitao: Fossil Hunter and Passionate Educator

Google Arts & Culture:

Gas Giants of Our Solar System

Saturn’s Moons

Earth’s Toxic Twin

The Future of Saturn’s Shape in Our Sky

Dwarf Planets of Our Solar System

Science Friday:

The Countdown Begins For Humanity’s Return To The Moon

Teen Innovator’s New AI Tool Helps Create Affordable Drugs

A High School Student Invented An Affordable Brain-Reading Prosthetic

A Teen Inventor Builds A Fingerprint Scanner for Gender Equity

Can Genetic Modification Help Plants Survive Climate Change?

Stunning JWST Images Show New Details Of The Universe

Photography: The New G.O.A.T. Of Park Systems Is An Actual Goat

NASW: 

Probing patient stories–and unsettled science–without breaking trust

Astrobites: 

Mercury Has Ice…But Wait, There’s More!

Nature:

Top climate scientists are sceptical that nations will rein in global warming

Additional outlets and media:

Press releases and event coverage (a sample of my work: McDonald Observatory Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve)

Photography (The New G.O.A.T. Of Park Systems Is An Actual Goat)

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Research:​

 

Siegler, M.A., Feng, J., ... White, M. Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at Compton–Belkovich. Nature (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06183-5

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Siegler, M., Warren, P., Franco, K. L., Paige, D., Feng, J., & White, M. (2022). Lunar Heat Flow: Global Predictions and Reduced Heat Flux. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 127, e2022JE007182. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JE007182

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Feng, J.; Siegler, M.A.; White, M.N. Shallow Regolith Structure and Obstructions Detected by Lunar Regolith Penetrating Radar at Chang’E-5 Drilling Site. Remote Sens. 2022, 14, 3378. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14143378

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Feng, Jianqing, Matthew. A. Siegler, and Mackenzie N. White. 2022. “Dielectric Properties and Stratigraphy of Regolith in the Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin: Observations from the Lunar Penetrating Radar.” Astronomy & Astrophysics 661 (May): A47. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202143015.

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Matthew A. Siegler, Jianqing Feng, Paul G. G. Lucey, Rebecca Ghent, Paul O. Hayne, Mackenzie White. 2020. "Lunar titanium and frequency dependent microwave loss tangent as constrained by the Chang'E-2 MRM and LRO Diviner Lunar Radiometers." Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets.

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Foster, William J., Daniel J. Lehrmann, Jaime A. Hirtz, Mackenzie White, Meiyi Yu, Ji Li, and Rowan C. Martindale. 2019. “Early Triassic Benthic Invertebrates from the Great Bank of Guizhou, South China: Systematic Palaeontology and Palaeobiology.” Edited by Michael Hautmann. Papers in Palaeontology 5 (4): 613–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1252.

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Conferences:

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ComSciCon Flagship Conference (2023) – Poster: Hidden Hypothesis: Unraveling Science's Secrets: A True Crime Podcast. M. White, S. Kulkarni, J. Rodriguez, J. Sharma.

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53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2022) – Talk: A YEAR OF PERSEVERANCE AT JEZERO II: Siegler M.A., White M., [...] Passive Radiometry of Subsurface Temperatures Using the Mars 2020 Rimfax Instrument [#1491]

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53rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2022) – Apollo's Legacy Posters: White M., Siegler M.A., Million C.: Apollo Heat Flow Experiment:  Implications for Lunar Thermophysical Properties and Heat Flow [#2485]

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50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2019) – Poster Session II: 50 Years of Apollo Legacy: White M., Siegler M.A.: Apollo Lunar Heat Flow Experiment: An evaluation of potential causes of subsurface temperature drift [#2132]

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47TH Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2016) – Poster Session II: Mars Polar Processes/Cryosphere: Levy J. S., Fassett C. I., Chaffey P. M., White M.: Boulder Size Distributions on Martian Debris-Covered Glaciers: Flow History and Timescale]: Boulder size-frequency distributions on debris-covered glacier landforms provide insight into transport timescales, erosion, and climatic processes. 

In the News:

 

Scientists Have Found a Hot Spot on the Moon’s Far Side (The New York Times)

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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Just the highlights – please get in contact for complete CV & work experience.

May 2018 - Present

PLANETARY SCIENCE INSTITUTE, RESEARCH SCIENTIST

  • Mars 2020 Science Team: modeled new method of heat flow estimate using RIMFAX ground penetrating radar data, processed and evaluated RIMFAX passive data

  • InSight Science Team: modeled subsurface heat flow

  • Reevaluated lunar geophysical properties at Apollo 15 and 17 sites

  • Research assistant to Dr. Matthew Siegler

October 2017 - May 2018

THE MARTINDALE LAB, RESEARCH ASSISTANT TO DR. ROWAN MARTINDALE

  • Identified and analyzed Early Jurassic rock samples to understand oceanic anoxic events and reef system changes

  • Processed and analyzed results sample results from the Environmental Scanning Electron 

September 2015 - May 2017

UT INSTITUTE FOR GEOPHYSICS, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

  • Identified flow morphologies on Martian debris-covered glaciers

  • Produced and interpreted results for Mars Boulder Project using ArcGIS, Excel, & Matlab

  • Wrote 60-pg. honors thesis detailing results of extensive Martian geomorphology study

Professional Associations

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American Geophysical Union 
AGU

National Association of Science Writers NASWAGU

Earth Science Women's Network ESWN

American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS

RECOGNITIONS

  • 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media Fellow (Science Friday)

  • Papers in Palaeontology Best Annual Paper

  • NASA/Texas Space Grant Fellowship Recipient 2019, 2021 

  • University Honors, The University of Texas 

  • Jackson School of Geosciences Field Scholarship 

  • J. D. and V. L. Langston Endowed Scholarship Fund in Geology and Geophysics  

  • Jacque Nell and David Scott Holland, Sr. Student Excellence Fund in the Geosciences 

  • Richard Chuchla Dean's Discretionary Fund, Yilmaz and Atalay Undergraduate Scholarship in the Geosciences 

  • Jackson Undergraduate Support Fund Scholarship

  • COLA: Nature, Society, and Sustainability in Ecuador Scholarship 

  • COLA: Spanish & Portuguese Faculty Led Summer Scholarship 

  • William Butler Yeats Hammer of Unity Award (highest course grade in Plan II Honors World Literature)

COURSES, CERTIFICATES, AND PROGRAMS

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • ​Campanile Capital Traders – Financial Analyst Intern; Austin, TX  (July 2017–June 2018)

  • Cardwell, Hart, & Bennett L.L.P. – Copy Editor and Office Manager; Austin, TX (August 2014–January 2015)

  • Watts Guerra L.L.P. – Legal Intern; Austin, TX (Summer 2012, 2013)

  • U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett – Congressional Intern; Austin, TX (Fall 2013)

LEADERSHIP

TEXAS 4000 FOR CANCER
RIDE LEAD
November 2014 - December 2017

PLAN II HONORS STUDENT ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT
August 2012 - December 2017

DELTA GAMMA FRATERNITY
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
August 2012 - May 2016

  • Trained for and biked 4,500 miles from Austin, TX to Anchorage, AK (~70 mi/day for 70 days) to raise money for cancer research

  • Raised $4.75k personally for cancer research and cancer prevention, contributing to the over $7 million Texas 4000 has raised to date

  • Led training rides triweekly and served as personal coach, improving team skills and confidence for the summer ride

  • Responsible for organizing events for Plan II Honors — a selective interdisciplinary honors program of 600 undergraduate students

  • Advised and assisted Plan II faculty with course selection and implementation of program policies, impacting student education

  • Initiated increase of inter-fraternity relationships via study groups and in-house tutoring sessions

  • Volunteered weekly at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

EDUCATION

An education consisting of a diverse selection of coursework, including honors science and liberal arts degrees. Undergraduate degrees: Plan II Honors (an interdisciplinary program with a writing focus) and Geological Sciences with minors in Geography and Government. Ph.D. in Geophysics (Planetary Science) in progress.

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June 2021 - Nov 2022

At UCLA: Visiting graduate researcher in the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 
VISITING GRADUATE RESEARCHER

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January 2019 - Present, Expected May 2024

SMU
PH.D. GEOPHYSICS

At SMU: worked with Dr. Matthew Siegler (focusing on thermal modeling), received the NASA/Texas Space Grant and was a contributing member of the InSight, Diviner LRO, and Mars 2020 science teams.

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August 2012 - May 2017

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
B.A., PLAN II HONORS & GEOGRAPHY
B.S., GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
MINOR: GOVERNMENT

At UT: received university honors, served as President of the Plan II Honors Student Association, participated in multiple research labs, and was a member of the Texas 4000 for Cancer team. Earned degrees from the Jackson School of Geosciences and the College of Liberal Arts.

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August 2008 - May 2012

TEXAS MILITARY INSTITUTE
HIGH SCHOOL

At TMI: president of the National Honor Society, captain of the varsity basketball and golf teams, named a KSAT12 News Scholar Athlete, a National Merit Scholar, and received the Richard T. Whatton English Award and Sewanee Writing Award of Excellence.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

TECHNICAL

  • Graphic Design (Adobe Creative Suite)

  • Google Generative AI

  • Matlab, Comsol Multiphysics, ArcGIS, Python

  • MS Office Suite

  • Social Media (Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.)

 

LANGUAGES

  • Written and spoken: English, conversational Spanish.

  • Digital: diverse coding, digital media (graphic design and art).

  • I love to write and communicate through diverse media.

 

VOLUNTEERING

  • Austin & Dallas Pets Alive!

  • Austin Parks and Recreation

  • Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

  • Austin Sustainable Food Center

 

ETC.

FITNESS + COACHING

I love anything that gets me outside, from running at the park to backcountry skiing in the mountains.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I have professional experience photographing nature, conferences, and story portraits. Click here for an example!

WRITE.EDIT. DESIGN.

I am a writer, editor, and digital designer. I primarily cover science, art, culture, and events. I'm always open to pitches and proposals for freelance work!

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Thanks for submitting!

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210-259-1949

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