Gabriella “Gabby" Rizzo, a PhD student in the School of Biological Sciences, is a co-author on a recent paper published in Astrobiology—and featured on the cover.
"IMPRESS: A Planetary Penetrator Network for Astrobiology, Prospecting, and Exploration of Mars” presents the International Mars Prospecting Ride-Share System (IMPRESS), a scalable, democratized, and low-cost mission architecture for distributed measurements on the Martian surface and in the shallow subsurface. The article describes the IMPRESS mission architecture, penetrator platforms, compatible payload classes, and how distributed shallow-subsurface surveys reduce scientific and operational uncertainty before future Mars surface activities.
Rizzo's specialization is Genetics, Cell, and Molecular Biology, and her advisor is Karrie Weber, professor in the school. Rizzo was recognized with a SETI Forward Award in 2025.
