Lavender Elle Hanson

PhD student
Department of Earth & Planetary Science
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

lhanso14@jh.edu
https://ellehanson.com/

Education

Ph.D., Earth and Planetary Science
Johns Hopkins Univ, Baltimore, MD
Advisor: Darryn D. Waugh

2020–2025 (expected)

M.S., Atmospheric Science & Meteorology
Penn State Univ, University Park, PA
Advisor: Jerry Y. Harrington

2013–2018

B.A., Physics & Chemistry
Luther College, Decorah, IA

2009–2013

Research Experience

Modeling and image analysis of Titan ice clouds
Johns Hopkins University
advised by Darryn D. Waugh

2020–2025

Laboratory spectroscopy of Titan cloud ices
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Maryland
advised by Carrie M. Anderson

2020

Martian cloud and atmospheric dynamics using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Maryland
advised by Scott Guzewich

2019

Skills

Cloud microphysical theory and modeling

Planetary imagery analysis

Programming (primarily Python and Fortran 77–03)

Professional Society Membership

American Astronomical Society, Division of Planetary Science

2023–present

American Geophysical Union

2018–present

Teaching

Guided Tour: The Planets, TA

Spring 2023-24

Principles of Atmospheric Measurement, co-instructor

Spring 2017

Radiation and Climate, TA

Fall 2018

Atmospheric Thermodynamics, TA

Fall 2014

Other Training

“The Last Day” (teaching workshop)

Fall 2024

Johns Hopkins Teaching Institute, May 29-31

Spring 2024

“Grading and Anti-grading” (workshop series)

Spring 2024

“Teaching Discomfort: Facilitating Challenging Discussions in the Classroom” (workshop series)

Fall 2023

Service

Newsletter Contributor and Editor, EPS

2024–

Social Committee organizer, EPS

2020–2024

Johns Hopkins Trans Awareness Task Force

2023–2024

Funding

NASA FINESST: Mixed-species clouds in Titan's polar stratosphere (as future investigator, PI: Darryn Waugh).

2021–2024

Publications

1.     Lavender E Hanson, Robert French, Darryn Waugh, Erika Barth, and Carrie M. Anderson, 2025: The Descent of Titan’s South Polar Cloud, Geophys Res Lett (submitted). preprint doi: 10.22541/essoar.173152976.68313678/v1

2.     Lavender E Hanson, Darryn Waugh, Erika Barth, and Carrie M. Anderson, 2023: Investigation of Titan's south polar HCN cloud during southern fall using microphysical modeling, Planet Sci J, 4, 237. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ad0837

3.     Gwenore F Pokrifka, AM Moyle, Lavender E Hanson, and Jerry Y Harrington, 2020: Estimating Surface Attachment Kinetic and Growth Transition Influences on Vapor-Grown Ice Crystals, J Atmos Sci, 77, 2393. doi:10.1175/jas-d-19-0303.1

4.     Jerry Y Harrington, Alfred Moyle, Lavender E Hanson, Hugh Morrison, 2019: On Calculating Deposition Coefficients and Aspect-Ratio Evolution in Approximate Models of Ice Crystal Vapor Growth, J Atmos Sci, 76, 1609. doi:10.1175/jas-d-18-0319.1

5.     Alexander Harrison, Alfred M Moyle, Hanson, Jerry Y Harrington, 2016: Levitation diffusion chamber measurements of the mass growth of small ice crystals from vapor, J Atmos Sci, 73, 2743-2758. doi:10.1175/JAS-D-15-0234.1

6.     EM Levin, R Hanus, Hanson, WE Straszheim, K Schmidt‐Rohr, 2013: Thermoelectric properties of Ag₂Sb₂Ge_46 − xDy_xTe₅₀ alloys with high power factor, Physica Status Solidi A, 210, 2628-2637. doi:10.1002/pssa.201330217

Conference presentations

1.     Lavender E Hanson, Darryn Waugh, Carrie Anderson, and Erika Barth. 2024: The Slow Descent of Titan’s South Polar Cloud (talk). AAS/DPS 2024, 208.02, Boise, ID.

2.     Lavender E Hanson, Darryn Waugh, Erika Barth, and Carrie M. Anderson. 2023: Investigating the evolution of Titan's high altitude south polar HCN cloud (talk). AAS/DPS 2023, 208.04, San Antonio, TX.

3.     Lavender E Hanson, Darryn Waugh, Erika Barth, and Carrie M. Anderson. 2023: Modeling the fall high altitude south polar HCN cloud (talk). Titan Through Time 6, Paris.

4.     Lavender E Hanson, Scott Guzewich, 2019: Orographic clouds in the Mars Arcadia province (poster). AGU Fall Meeting 2019, P41B-3405.

5.     Lavender E Hanson, Scott Guzewich, 2019: Using Machine Learning to Identify Clouds in Mars Daily Global Maps (poster), Ninth International Conference on Mars, Pasadena, CA.

6.     Hanson, Alfred Moyle, Jerry Harrington, 2016: Measurements of vapor growth and sublimation of individually levitated ice particles below -30°C (talk), 17th International Conference on Clouds & Precipitation, Manchester, UK, S1.14.