Morgan L. Cable

THE TALK: Exploring Ocean Worlds

www.ihmc.com

15 S.E. Osceola Avenue Downtown Ocala

Co-hosted by:

April 20, 2023

Reception:

Begins at 5:30 p.m.

Talk:

Begins at 6:00 p.m.

Seating is limited RSVP to ihmc-20230223.eventbrite.com or call 352-387-3050

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Our solar system is host to multiple ocean worlds - planets and moons that contain oceans of liquid, usually water, either on their surfaces or underneath icy crusts. These worlds are prime targets of exploration due to NASA’s quest to ‘follow the water’ and may contain all three ingredients for life as we know it - water, chemistry, and energy. Could life exist in the oceans of Enceladus or Europa? Could even stranger life have emerged in the liquid methane lakes of Titan? Dr. Cable will cover our current state of knowledge of these ocean worlds, and discuss some current missions and future mission concepts to explore their plumes, surfaces, and ocean depths.

Morgan L. Cable is the Co-Deputy PI of the Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) Instrument aboard the Mars 2020 (Perseverance) rover and the Science Lead for the Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) Project. She has worked on the Cassini Mission, is a Co-Investigator of the Dragonfly mission to Titan, and is serving multiple roles on the Europa Clipper mission.

Currently Dr. Cable performs laboratory experiments to study the unique organic chemistry of Titan. She and colleagues were the first to discover minerals made exclusively of organics that may exist on Titan’s surface. Morgan also conducts fieldwork in extreme environments on Earth, searching for life in places such as the Atacama Desert, ice fields at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, nutrient-limited lakes at the base of Wind Cave (the densest cave system in the world) in South Dakota, fumarole-generated ice caves of the Mount Meager stratovolcano in Canada, and lava fields of Iceland.

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Before going to the Supreme Court, Warren filed a federal lawsuit challenging his ouster. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that the suspension violated the Florida Constitution and the U.S. Constitution, but Hinkle said he lacked the authority to reinstate the prosecutor. Warren has appealed Hinkle’s decision to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In the Supreme Court petition, Warren’s lawyers argued that DeSantis overstepped his authority in issuing the suspension.

“This (Supreme) Court’s final determination that the governor exceeded his power under Florida’s Constitution by

In his Jan. 20 decision, Hinkle criticized DeSantis and the governor’s aides for failing to conduct a thorough investigation before ousting Warren.

“The assertion that Mr. Warren neglected his duty or was incompetent is incorrect. This factual issue is not close … The record includes not a hint of misconduct by Mr. Warren,” Hinkle wrote.

But attorneys for DeSantis argued in Monday’s document that the Supreme Court should disregard Hinkle’s views.

“(The) federal court’s gratuitous assertions — including its remarkable choice to opine on whether the governor violated Florida law, despite appreciating full well that it lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate that issue — were not essential to its judgment and have no preclusive effect,” attorneys for DeSantis wrote.

The Senate has put its consideration of the suspension on hold while the legal wrangling continues.

Lawmakers Tackle Catalytic Converter Thefts

SENATE SIGNS OFF ON ‘MEDICATION AIDES’

The Florida Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that would allow trained certified nursing assistants to provide medications to nursing-home residents. The bill (SB 558), sponsored by Health Policy Chairwoman Colleen Burton,

R-Lakeland, would allow certified nursing assistants to become trained as “qualified medication aides.” They could then administer what Burton and other supporters have described as “routine” medications to nursing-home residents, freeing up registered nurses to provide other needed care. Also, qualified medication aides could perform tasks such as checking residents’ blood glucose levels. A House version of the bill (HB 351) has cleared committees and is positioned to go to the full House.

YEAR-ROUND SCHOOLS BACKED IN SENATE

Aproposal began moving forward Tuesday in the Florida Senate that would create a year-round school pilot program at a limited number of elementary schools. The Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee unanimously approved the measure (SB 1564).

The pilot program would launch next school year and would be authorized to run for four years. The state education commissioner would choose five school districts to participate.

“To the extent possible, the commissioner shall select school districts that represent a variety of demographics, including, but not limited to, urban, suburban and rural school districts,” the bill says. At least one elementary school in the participating districts would take part in the yearround program. The state Department of Education also would be required to study the “issues, benefits, and schedule options for instituting year-round school programs for all students.” A similar House bill (HB 891) has cleared committees and can be considered by the full House.

With catalytic converters including valuable metals, the Florida Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill aimed at curbing thefts of the pollution-control devices from cars and trucks.

“This is happening to cars in driveways, it’s happening to fleet vehicles in fenced yards, and even, even the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile fell prey to this a month or so ago,” Senate bill sponsor Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, said. “That was just a little bit too far.”

Catalytic converters include precious metals such as palladium and platinum.

Supporters of the Senate bill (SB 306) and an identical House bill (HB 185) say thieves quickly cut catalytic converters off vehicles and sell the devices because of the metals.

The bills include creating third-degree felony charges for “knowingly” purchasing, possessing or selling stolen catalytic converters. Also, they would create an “inference” that people with two or more detached catalytic converters knew or should have known they were stolen or fraudulently obtained. The issue also is positioned to go to the full House.

Student Data Bill Headed To Full Senate

Aproposal dubbed the “Student Online Personal Information Protection Act” is poised for consideration by the full Senate after getting a green light Wednesday from the Rules Committee. The bill (SB 662) seeks to restrict the way that operators of websites and online applications used in schools can collect and use students’ data. For example, operators would be barred from using “targeted advertising” on students and would be prohibited from using personal information to “amass a profile” of a student. The measure also would require website and application operators to collect “no more covered information than is reasonably necessary to operate” the services. Bill sponsor Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated “the pivot” to online learning. “There’s an ever-increasing number of third-party educational applications being used in the classroom. And while innovative, these educational technologies are able to collect and maintain a large amount of data on our children,” Bradley said. An identical House bill (HB 699) needs approval from the Education & Employment Committee before it could be considered by the full House.