The Institute of Meteoritics (IOM), will be celebrating its 75th anniversary during UNM’s Homecoming Week on Thursday and Friday, October 24 and 25, 2019. The IOM was founded at The University of New Mexico in 1944 as one of the first institutions in the world devoted to the study of meteorites. One of the highlights of the event will be an open house at the newly renovated UNM Meteorite Museum, which showcases many rare and stunning specimens from outer space.
Thursday, October 24 - Reception
There will be a reception on Thursday evening, with light fare, an open house in the Meteorite Museum, interactive displays and two special guest speakers.
Guest Speakers:
G. Jeffrey Taylor, Professor Emeritus, Hawai`i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology
Topic: Determining the Bulk Chemical Composition of the Moon and Why We Care
Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, Former Apollo 17 astronaut and U.S. Senator
Topic: Apollo 17 and Beyond
Friday, October 25 - Symposium
There will be a symposium with special guest speakers and lunch will be provided.
Confirmed guest speakers include:
Dr. Chris Herd, Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta
Topic: Finding the Source Craters for the Martian Meteorites
Nina Lanza, Deputy Team Lead for Space and Planetary Exploration at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Topic: Zapping rocks on Mars: Past, present, and future observations from the ChemCam and SuperCam instruments
Lars Borg, Isotope geochemist whose research has focused on the primordial differentiation of the terrestrial planets and asteroids
Topic: Isotopic Evidence for a Young Lunar Magma Ocean
Various IOM Faculty and staff scientists will also speak on Friday.