Geosciences Ph.D. graduate, Makoto Suwa *07, has been selected as an astronaut by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Suwa and one other candidate were selected from over 4000 applicants. In his Princeton thesis work with Professor Michael Bender, Suwa studied Earth’s climate history using ice cores . After Princeton, he worked in Rwanda as a teacher for a time and he currently serves as a Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank. Suwa will now embark on a two-year astronaut training program that will lead to the opportunity to participate in future space missions.

For more details, see: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/28/national/woman-astronaut-japan-space-agency/