May 8, 2026 | UCLA Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
The Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences honored the remarkable career of Prof. Gerald Schubert, geophysicist extraordinaire, on May 8th, 2026. EPSS Chair Prof. Jon Aurnou hosted a remarkable day where former students, colleagues, collaborators, present faculty, students, and postdocs reminisced and celebrated an amazing life in science that defined the early days of geophysics and planetary science.
The hybrid event enabled remote attendance and the sharing of memories by those who interacted with Jerry scientifically over the years. Photos of the event can be found below, along with the slideshow, program, and edited video of the day.
Event Materials
Please use the links below to view the photo gallery, slideshow, and full edited video.
Program
09:30 AM — Preparations: Zoom Room (opens in a new tab)
10:00 AM — Introduction and Welcome: Chair Jon Aurnou
10:05 AM — Overview Talk: Peter Olson [Presentation] (opens in a new tab)
10:35 AM — Virtual attendees with a connection to Jerry: short introductions, 1 minute each
11:15 AM — Talks, introduced by Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni
11:15 AM — David Sandwell: Venus and Earth [Presentation] (opens in a new tab) (original PPTX) (opens in a new tab)
11:30 AM — Peter Bird, read by Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni [Remarks] (opens in a new tab) (original DOCX) (opens in a new tab)
11:45 AM — Panel with former UCLA students and postdocs
David Bercovici, moderator
Panelists: Krista Soderlund and Tilman Spohn
12:30 PM — Lunch
2:00 PM — Talk, introduced by Chair Jon Aurnou
2:05 PM — Marty Ross: Planetary Atmospheres [Presentation] (opens in a new tab) (original PPTX) (opens in a new tab)
2:20 PM — Curt Covey: Testimonial, read by Jon Aurnou [Testimonial] (opens in a new tab) (original DOCX) (opens in a new tab)
2:25 PM — David Baker: Venus and Planetary Atmospheres [Presentation] (opens in a new tab) (original PPTX) (opens in a new tab)
2:45 PM — Coffee Break
3:15 PM — Reminiscences, introduced by Chair Jon Aurnou
3:20 PM — David Stevenson [Presentation] (opens in a new tab) (original PPTX) (opens in a new tab)
3:35 PM — Margy Kivelson: Life at UCLA [Remarks] (opens in a new tab) (original DOCX) (opens in a new tab)
4:00 PM — Reminiscences from colleagues and family members
5:00 PM — Reception
Photo Gallery
Selected photos from the celebration are included below. Use the arrows to move through the gallery, or click the image to enlarge it.