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
10:00 AM — Introduction and Welcome: Chair Jon Aurnou
10:05 AM — Overview Talk: Peter Olson
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
11:30 AM — Peter Bird, read by Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni
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
2:20 PM — Curt Covey: Testimonial, read by Jon Aurnou
2:25 PM — David Baker: Venus and Planetary Atmospheres
2:45 PM — Coffee Break
3:15 PM — Reminiscences, introduced by Chair Jon Aurnou
3:20 PM — David Stevenson
3:35 PM — Margy Kivelson: Life at UCLA
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.