Nicolle Zellner

Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow Trustees’ Professor in the Sciences

The Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow Trustees’ Professor in the Sciences, Zellner has established an international reputation for her research regarding meteorite bombardment in the Solar System. More specifically, her study of lunar impact glass, collected on the Moon by the Apollo astronauts, has provided the scientific community with important new information about the impact history of the Moon, and by proxy, the impact history of Earth, including possible effects on the conditions required for life as we know it.

Zellner was a 2021 recipient of the Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication, awarded by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, “for her effective and wide-ranging outreach activities, reaching diverse audiences and spanning more than 20 years.” She was named as an AAAS Fellow in 2022 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Zellner has been a guest lecturer at numerous events hosted by scientific institutions, universities, and public organizations and has authored dozens of papers in her research area and on other space-related topics.

Education

B.S., 1993, University of Wisconsin – Madison
M.S., 1998, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst.
Ph.D., 2001, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst.

Courses

PHYS 102: Urban & Environmental Problems
PHYS 105: Introductory Astronomy (lecture and laboratory)
PHYS 250: Modern Physics

Publications

Recent Publications and Presentations (select list, >70 others; students denoted by * and +)

Zellner N. E. B. (2019) Lunar Impact Glasses: Probing the Moon’s Surface and Constraining its Impact History, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 124, 2686-2702, doi:10.1029/2019JE006050; featured on the cover of the November issue.
Nguyen P. Q.* and Zellner N. E. B. (2019) Using Size and Composition to Assess the Quality of Lunar Impact Glass Ages, Geosciences, 9(85), doi:10.3390/geosciences9020085.
Zellner N. E. B. (2018) Video Killed the Writing Assignment, Journ. Astron. Earth Sci. Edu., 5(2), 137-150.
Huang Y.-H.+, Minton D. A., Zellner N. E. B., Hirabayashi M., Richardson J. E., and Fassett C. I. (2018) No Change in Recent Lunar Impact Flux from Modeling Impact Glass Spherule Ages, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 6805–6813, 10.1029/2018GL077254.
Zellner N. E. B. (2017) Cataclysm no more: New views on the timing and delivery of lunar impactors, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, 47(3), 261-280, doi: 10.1007/s11084-017-9536-3.
Huang Y-H.+, Minton D. A., Hirabyashi M., Elliot J., Richardson J. E., Fassett C. I., and Zellner N. E. B. (2017) Impact-Generated Material Transport on the Moon, JGR-Planets, 122, doi:10.1002/2016JE005160.
Zellner N. E. B. and Delano J. W. (2015) 40Ar/39Ar ages of lunar impact glasses: Relationships among Ar diffusivity, chemical composition, shape, and size, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 161, 203-218, 10.1016/j.gca.2015.04.013.
Zellner N. E. B. and Delano J. W. (2015) Lunar Impact Glass Ages and the Bombardment of the Moon: Composition, Size, and Shape Matter, 46th Lun. Plan. Sci. Conf., The Woodlands, TX, March, 2028.pdf. Oral presentation.
Zellner N. E. B. and Delano J. W (2015), Relationships Among Chemical Composition, Size, and Shape When Evaluating 40Ar/39Ar Ages of Lunar Impact Glasses, Early Solar System Impact Bombardment III, Houston, TX, February, 3018.pdf. Oral presentation.
McCaffrey V. P., Zellner N. E. B., Waun C.*, Bennett E. R.*, and Earl E.* (2014) Reactivity and Survivability of Glycolaldehyde in Simulated Meteorite Impact Experiments, Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres, DOI 10.1007/s11084-014-9358-5.
Zellner N.E.B, Delano J.W., Swindle T.D., Barra F., Olsen E., and Whittet D.C.B. (2009) Evidence from 40Ar/39Ar Ages of Lunar Impact Glasses for an Increase in the Impact Rate ~800 Ma Ago, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 73, 4590-4597.
Zellner N.E.B, Delano J.W. Swindle T.D., Barra F., Olsen E., and Whittet D.C.B. (2009) Apollo 17 regolith, 71501,262: A record of impact events and mare volcanism in lunar glasses, Meteorit. Plan. Sci., 44(6), 839-852.
Delano J.W., Zellner N.E.B., Barra F., Olsen E., Swindle T.D., Tibbetts N.J., and Whittet D.C.B. (2007) An integrated approach to understanding Apollo 16 impact glasses: Chemistry, isotopes, and shape, Meteorit. Plan. Sci., 42(6), 993-1004.

Recent Funding Received (select list, >$1.2M since 1999)

2015-2019, Albion College Faculty Development Committee, various activities

2015-2018, National Science Foundation, PI, Using Lunar Impact Glasses as Tools for Investigating Solar System Processes, $193,612, Awarded September 2015.

2015-2018, NASA Solar System Workings, Co-I, Modeling Material Transport in the Lunar Regolith, $78,199/$500,922, Awarded March 2015.

2015-2018, NASA Solar System Workings, Collaborator, Noble-Gas Geochronology of the Inner Solar System, Awarded March 2015.

2013 – 2017, Albion College Faculty Development Grants for various activities related to professional development, course materials, and telescope maintenance.

2012-2017, NASA Astrobiology: Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology Program, PI, Survival of Sugars in Ice/Mineral Mixtures Upon High Velocity Impact: Simulating the Impact of Comets and Meteorites into Early Earth, $436,171, Awarded September 2011.

Awards

Abridged Listing

2019, Herbert and Grace Dow Endowed Professorship in the Sciences 2018
Teacher of the Year 2017
Phi Beta Kappa Scholar of the Year (Albion College Chapter) 2016
Matriculation Speaker (Charge from the Albion College Faculty) 2011
Antarctic Service Medal 2010, American Astronomical Society Chrétien International Research Award (Albion) 2007
Albion College Blanchard Faculty Research Fellowship (Albion) 2004
American Assoc. of University Women, American Postdoc. Res. Fellowship (LLNL) 2001
Harry F. Meiners Fellowship (RPI) 2000 and 1999
Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship (RPI) 1998
Founders’ Award for Excellence (RPI) 1997
Walter Eppenstein Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (RPI) 1996
NASA Group Achievement Award, Astro-2 Mission Team (UW-Madison) 1993
Wisconsin Alumni Association Outstanding Senior Student Award (UW-Madison)