Institute of Meteoritics In The News


Carl Agee, direc­tor and cura­tor of the IOM, and a team of researchers--includ­ing groups at UNM, UC San Diego and the Carnegie Insti­tu­tion--have iden­ti­fied a new class of Mar­t­ian mete­orite that fell to Earth and likely orig­i­nated from the planet’s crust and sur­face environment. The research was published in the journal Science, and articles about the work have been appeared at NBCnews.com, Nature and Discover magazine. Watch the video to see the team discussing their findings.

Francis McCubbin, Senior Scientist, received a Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Dr. McCubbin received his award in a ceremony at the White House. McCubbin was recognized for studies of the geochemical role of water and other volatiles in extraterrestrial materials from the inner solar system. Francis was also interviewed recently by National Geographic about his article in Geology (which includes UNM co-authors Stephen Elardo, Kathleen Vander Kaaden and Charles Shearer) and NewScientist about an article which appeared in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.1220715).

Senior Scientist Charles Shearer’s book, “New Views of the Moon” (Reviews in Mineralogy, Vol. 60, Mineralogical Society of America 2006), has been published in a Chinese edition.

Master’s student Kathleen Vander Kaaden received a $10,000 grant from the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium for the 2011-2012 school year.