At the 9th IAA Planetary Defense Conference, Joe DeMartini, the inaugural recipient of the Schweickart Prize, delivered a virtual presentation on his winning proposal: the SUnward NEO Surveillance and Early Twilight Detection (SUNSET) Collaboration. This project aims to address the critical challenge of detecting Sunward Near-Earth Objects (SNEOs), which are particularly difficult to observe using traditional survey methods. In his talk, Joe outlines plans to collaborate with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory through twilight microsurveys and discusses how SUNSET could integrate with other early warning and asteroid detection missions.

Joe will soon be moving to Helsinki, Finland, where he plans to begin a three-year postdoctoral research position focused on developing next-generation Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) population models. He will be working under planetary scientist Mikael Granvik, a leading expert in NEA dynamics and modeling.

Read more about Joe and his winning proposal here.

The B612 Foundation has been a sponsor of the Planetary Defense Conference since its inception in 2009, underscoring its enduring commitment to planetary defense and asteroid detection.