Dr. Nicolle Zellner (Lunar Scientist)

Dr. Nicolle Zellner is a post-doctoral research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She is also an Associate Scientist at the New York Center for Studies on the Origin of Life in Troy, NY.

Nicolle's interests lie in the impact history of the Earth- Moon system and the implications for the origin of life on Earth. Her lunar glass
studies are narrowing the timeline for the bombardment history of Earth, and results will help determine when life and its necessary conditions became possible.

(Listen to her talk. You'll need a free RealOne Player)

Nicolle's interest in math and science started in the 4th grade and years later, when she looked through a telescope and saw Saturn for the first time, she was hooked. Involvement in the STS-67 space shuttle
mission (1995) and working directly with the astronauts and scientists convinced her that she wanted to make a career for herself in space studies.

Nicolle received her PhD from Rensselaer Polytechic Institute in 2001, the school's first recipient of the Multidisciplinary PhD and her
undergraduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.