Free Live NSN Webinar Series: All About That Space: Science Updates with Dr. Nicolle Zellner
Join the NASA Night Sky Network on Wednesday, April 23, at 6:00 PM Pacific Time (9:00 PM Eastern) along with Dr. Nicolle Zellner where we’ll discuss updates on several exciting space missions, including NASA’s initiative to return to the Moon.
It’s an exciting time to be a space scientist! From observations of deep space via Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), to asteroid sample return from OSIRIS-REx, to planned investigations by Dragonfly (Titan) and Europa Clipper (Europa), space science offers something for everyone, now and in the future.
About Nicolle Zellner:
Dr. Nicolle Zellner is a professor of physics at Albion College in Albion, MI, where she teaches introductory and advanced astronomy and physics courses and has mentored dozens of student research partners. She has also served as a NASA Program Scientist in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. Supported by the NSF and NASA, Dr. Zellner’s research interests focus on understanding the impact history of the Earth-Moon system and how those impacts affected the conditions for life on Earth. She studies lunar impact glasses to interpret the bombardment history of the Moon (and Earth), and a second project focuses on understanding how the chemistry of simple molecules is affected by impacts.
As a woman in science, she advocates for inclusive approaches and practices to increase diversity (in all of its forms) in the sciences. Dr. Zellner has traveled to Antarctica to collect meteorites and to Chile to tour the biggest and best telescopes in the world. She loves teaching and talking about space - she has been a NASA Solar System Ambassador for more than 20 years, communicating with more than 2 million people through public talks, media interviews and written articles. In 2021, Dr. Zellner received the Carl Sagan Medal for Public Communication, and she is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the highest honors in science. She has been Teacher of the Year and Scholar of the Year at Albion College.
Dr. Zellner graduated from Winneconne High School in Wisconsin and completed her undergraduate degree, with majors in Physics and Astronomy and a certification in Environmental Studies, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her PhD is from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2001), where she received the school’s first Multidisciplinary PhD.
She’s received fellowships from the American Association of University Women (American Fellowship) and Zonta International (Amelia Earhart Fellowship).
The event will be streaming live on YouTube, but please note that questions asked over the NSN-members-only Zoom Q&A will be prioritized.
