Appointments, honors and activities

• Appointments and promotions:

- Michelle Thompson, an assistant professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, has been appointed to one of nine teams to study untouched lunar samples from the Apollo missions. Her team, led by Chip Shearer at the University of New Mexico, will look at vacuum-sealed samples to study the geologic history of the Apollo 17 site. The samples are from a region that had been cold enough for water to freeze, known as a cold trap. This is the first time a sample from one of these cold traps will be examined in a lab.

• Notables:

-  Robin Tanamachi, an assistant professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, is the subject of a new children’s book, “The Tornado Scientist: Seeing Inside Severe Storms.” The book, which follows Tanamachi’s path from her childhood interest in extreme weather to her current research, is part of a larger series that aims to interest kids age 8 to 11 in the sciences. The title will be released March 19.