Author Page

Agnese Fazio is a final-year PhD student of the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra (Earth Science Department) of Pisa University. Her thesis title is Shock Metamorphism and Impact Melting at Kamil Crater, Egypt. In 2014, she won the “Barringer Family Fund for Meteorite Impact Research” for a project on the study of the high pressure minerals occurring in Kamil sandstones and the Brian Mason Travel Award for the 77th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society supported by the International Meteorite Collectors Association.

AL Mitterling of Mitterling Meteorites bio. I’ve been collecting and selling meteorites since the late 1980’s when there wasn’t an internet and communications were by mailing letters back and forth. Back when there was less than two dozen dealers. Much has happened since then both good and bad. I started out in the business in order to offer some much needed competition as there was very little and to offer up specimens at a fair price which was lacking then. My first “catalogs” were carefully type up lists with a picture or two. Later I produced 20 to 28 page color catalogs sending them to several hundred customers for several years. My successes are: getting hard to find historical and rare specimens to buyers who want them. Keeping detailed records of transactions with museums and sellers for authenticity. I also don’t exaggerate claims on my specimens but simply state the interesting facts. I have been an author in Meteorite Magazine multiple times and have written about major collections in the United States. This including the ASU Collection that include a major portion of the Nininger Meteorite Collection. I am also author of the Nininger Moments. I don’t consider myself a meteorite hunter but do go out and hunt when time permits each year. I have been successful in finding meteorites in known locations when hunting. If you have comments or questions please contact me at: almitt2 *at* localnet.com

Alan Keese grew up in Southern California. He has had a life-long interest in science—particularly astronomy—and in exploring untouched wilderness areas. He earned BS and MS degrees in engineering from UC Berkeley, followed by a career in Petroleum Engineering. Most of his work has been in foreign countries. A first assignment was in Saudi Arabia. He returned there after breaking off to obtain an MBA and serve three-year postings in Malaysia and Trinidad. He and his wife presently live in Houston, Texas.

I am a French-native, who moved to the States many years ago. Being in Colorado, I discovered the Denver Mineral Show, and I met Dr Alain Carion, the French expert and I started helping him during the Denver Show. Eventually he got me interested in meteorites but I really learned all about them when he asked me to translate his book “Meteorites” into English. That led to many new things: translation of his second book on meteorites, of various articles and most of all it lead to the creation of my website: IMPACTIKA.com in 1998. As a full-time meteorite dealer I now attend the shows in Denver, Ensisheim and Tucson where I have my own showroom. Along the way I also participated in the creation of the International Meteorite Collectors Association, where I was elected and re-elected President, and wrote many articles that you will find on Meteorite-Times.com.

Li Bofang, member of the Meteoritical Society since 2009, IMCA #8581. Contacting email: meteoritegarden@gmail.com

Dorothy Norton Kashuba specializes in scientific illustration for books and journals. Her work can also be found in private collections, museums in the US and abroad and in the garden shop pest control aisle.

Dustin has been fascinated with meteorites and space science for as long as he can remember. Though formally trained in computer science, this love eventually translated into writing about, hunting for and studying meteorites full time. He is the founder of Top Meteorite http://TopMeteorite.com and Curator for Maroc Meteoritics where he spent many years in the field studying the Agoudal impact structure. Dustin has originated meteorites and impactites for museums on three continents, he works closely with several of the world’s leading meteoritical research universities, and continues to write prolifically on a variety of subjects including meteorites and planetary science.

Ellen Crapster-Pregont is a PhD candidate at Columbia University in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences conducting research at the American Museum of Natural History. Her thesis work focuses on constraining conditions in the solar system by studying components of chondrites. She received the 2015 Brian Mason Travel Award supported by the International Meteorite Collectors Association for the 78th Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting.

Emilie Dunham is a 4th year PhD candidate at Arizona State University and part of the Center for Meteorite Studies (https://meteorites.asu.edu/) lead by Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa. Prior to this, she obtained a B.S. degree in astronomy (minors: geology, physics) from Case Western Reserve University in 2014. Emilie’s research interests in Planetary Science range from Kuiper belt objects to martian meteorites to early Solar System condensates; in modeling and/or measuring the elemental and isotopic abundances of these objects, we have a chance to learn about the events and conditions that led to their formation. Her NASA Earth and Space Sciences Fellowship project is focused on using SIMS to infer the abundance of short-lived radionuclides 10Be and 26Al in CAIs to constrain the astrophysical environment in which our Solar Nebula formed. Emilie will soon be looking for a postdoctoral position in related fields. Website: https://sites.google.com/asu.edu/etdunham/home Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emilie_Dunham

Geophysicist and planetary scientist, former Head of the Research Area of the National Research Council (CNR) in Bologna, Italy, active for over thirty years in science popularization of atmosphere physics and astronomy of the minor bodies of the solar system. International award (Prize of the Slovak Academy of Science) and national awards by the National Academy of Lincei). Member of expeditions in Antarctica in the frame of the PNRA (National Plan for Antarctic Research). Asteroid 6069 = 1991PW has his name, from July 1996 Author and co-author of about 200 scientific papers and books

Gregory T. Shanos, PharmD, is a pharmacist by profession and NASA Solar System Ambassador by passion. Greg is an avid amateur astronomer and member of the St. Petersburg Astronomy Club (SPAC) Local Group of Deep Sky Observers (LGDSO) and Museum Astronomical Resource Society (MARS) in Florida. Greg’s interest in astronomy began in 1985 with the apparition of Halley’s Comet. His passion for meteorites began a year later when Sky & Telescope advertised authentic meteorites for sale. After purchasing three iron meteorites for a total of $60, he was hooked for life! Dr. Shanos has also published over 30 review articles in Meteorite magazine regarding organic compounds in meteorites. Greg has lectured extensively on various astronomical topics and has submitted observational data on meteors, comets and grazing occultations that have been published by the International Meteor Association, International Occultation Timing Association and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. He has also participated in distributive computing projects such as SETI@home and Stardust@home. An avid eclipse chaser, Greg has witnessed thirteen total solar eclipses, three annular and the entire transits of Venus from Greece and Hawaii. Recent advances in digital technology have led Dr. Shanos into planetary and deep sky astrophotography. Other hobbies include playing folk and pop classics on my Guild D55 acoustic guitar. In addition, Greg has been studying the martial arts and earned his blackbelt in Mi Zong Long Horn, a Northern Shaolin Kung Fu System in 2007. Currently Greg is studying Chen Style Tai Chi and Yoga.

James P Tobin is a science writer and magazine journalist with seven books on history and science. James has written hundreds of articles on meteorites and continues to write for science publications. Still enthusiastic about meteorites and all things related to them, he hunts for, and collects meteorites, and continues to cut and prepare specimens. He travels to gem shows and enjoys meteorites as much now as in the beginning. Please feel free to share any comments you have on this or any of our other sites.

John is a natural history enthusiast living in Oregon.

John lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with his wife Danielle and daughter Madonna. He has made the study of “supernatural” and worshiped meteorites a focus of his collection, and is working on a book regarding these specimens entitled “The God of Falling Rocks”. © His website is www.bigjohnmeteorites.com.

Jürgen / jnmczurich is a Material Science Engineer with many years of experience in industrial research and development in the welding technology, aviation industry and ultimately also in the oil and gas industry. He has been falling victim to the meteorites since 1984, initiated by metallographic preparation work on Canyon Diablo and Toluca meteorites during his studies. To this day, he still enthusiastically works on various metallography meteorite projects on a private basis. In addition to building up his own meteorite collection (and thin section collection) through the purchase of well-known dealers and mainly university exchange and the associated self-performed sample preparation, he has often been active as a meteorite hunter in many countries, e.g. in Arizona/USA, Russia, Mongolia, Germany, Morocco, Egypt, Arabian Peninsula, Chile and other countries. For friends from the international meteorite family, he always has an open door to share experiences …

I have no scholarly credentials in the field of meteoritics. Perhaps the rigors of my academic pursuits in economics, and a lifetime study of classical music have helped me absorb and understand the essential chemistry, physics and biology required to appreciate a rock from space. A passion for all natural things has fueled my contributions to this field. Blast-off came in 1994, when I realized that meteorites weren’t just for museums anymore. I bought a slice of Zagami (Mars) from Robert Haag, and that magical talisman launched an interest in the cross-disciplines of meteorite study. This interest in meteoritics has sent me around the world in their search, into national archives to clarify their history, and into laboratories and museums to write about the work of those handling them professionally. My life’s greatest privilege has been to be mentored by O Richard Norton, and still by Joel Schiff, two multi-talented embodiments of renaissance men. Offering thanks to them is not enough, I’m obligated to be worthy of their efforts. I wish to promote the core values of resolute curiosity for the unknown and respect for the material. For those who wonder if they can make a contribution to our exciting hobby, I refer you to a line from a Tom Petty song…. The sky is wide open.

Academic bio Luke Daly is a new post-doctorate researcher at the University of Glasgow and part of the Solar System Volatiles research group lead by Professor Martin Lee. Prior to this he obtained an MSci in Geology from Imperial College London 2012 and a PhD at Curtin University, Australia in early 2017. Luke’s research interests in Planetary Science centre around the analysis of primitive meteorites to extract information about solar system formation and asteroid evolution. In particular evaluating the micro-structure, geochemistry and isotopic features of minute sub-micrometre materials using techniques such as the atom probe, which is capable of analysing individual atoms. These allow us to analyse meteorites and, by extension, the processes that formed them in unprecedented detail.

Dr. Martin Horejsi is a Professor of Instructional Technology and Science Education at The University of Montana, Missoula. A long-time meteorite collector and writer, before publishing his column “The Accretion Desk” in The Meteorite Times, he contributed often and wrote the column “From The Strewnfields” in Meteorite Magazine. Horejsi is also the Lead Technology Reviewer for The National Science Teaching Association, and just celebrated his 22th year working with NASA and the JPL in education and public outreach (EPO), and is a NASA Solar System Ambassador. Horejsi specializes in the collection and study of historic witnessed fall meteorites with the older, smaller, and rarer the better. Although his meteorite collection once numbered over a thousand pieces with near that many different locations, several large trades and sales and trades have streamlined the collection to about 250 important locations with all but 10 being witnessed falls. Many of the significant specimens in Horejsi’s collection are historic witnessed falls that once occupied prominence in the meteorite collections of Robert A. Haag, James Schwade, and Michael Farmer. Other important specimens were acquired through institutional trades including those from The Smithsonian Institution, Arizona State University, and other universities. Horejsi was awarded the Harvey (Nininger) Award in Tucson in 2006, The Brotherhood of Guardians of the Ensisheim Meteorite in 2011, a JPL Inspiration Person, on the JPL STARDUST Team that was awarded the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Annual Trophy in 2008, and former board member of the International Meteorite Collectors Association, and the Northwest Council for Computers in Education.

My name is Martin Goff and I am a meteorite obsessive! I have been collecting meteorites since 2007, my first specimen being a small Campo del Cielo crystal (which of course I still have) I am in awe of these rocks from space and just to hold something in your hand that is older than the Earth that we live on still blows me away every time. Being able to look back in time in such a real and tangible way is amazing. The feeling of wonderment and sense of perspective that this gives you never goes away and in fact only deepens as your knowledge increases.

Mary-Elizabeth Zucolotto (left) and Amanda Tosi (right) – – – Mary-Elizabeth Zucolotto, often called Betty, is the curator of the meteorites Collection of the Museum of Rio de Janeiro, she told us in an article published here in March 2019 about her efforts to save as many meteorites a possible during and after the fire that engulfed the Museum in September 2018. – – – Amanda Tosi is Betty’s assistant, a microprobe operator for the Museum, and a PhD candidate. She also helped Betty during the aftermath of the fire.

Dr. Melinda Hutson serves as curator of the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory (CML) at Portland at Portland State University, where she works on a variety of meteoritic research projects with Dr. Alex Ruzicka. Dr. Hutson teaches numerous geology/astronomy/planetary science courses to undergraduates. She also assists lab member Dick Pugh in CML’s public outreach program.

Michael refocused a lifelong geology passion towards meteorites and related materials over the last four years. He strives to get the “whole” meteorite experience, from hunting and collecting through preparation and restoration of specimens to classification and outreach. His favorite thing about meteorites is the people he has met along the way.

Mitch has been an avid collector of meteorites, tektites and related ephemera for over ten years. He has been fortunate to have made many good friends while doing it.

Nicola Mari is a PhD candidate in Martian Geochemistry at the University of Glasgow (UK). His thesis work focuses on constraining the formation and evolution of the martian mantle using martian meteorites. He received the ‘2019 Brian Mason Award’ sponsored by the International Meteorite Collectors Association for the 82nd Annual Meteoritical Society Meeting.

I am a professor of physics at Albion College (Albion, MI) where I teach introductory and advanced astronomy and physics courses and regularly mentor undergraduate physics students. During the 2006-2007 field season, I was a member of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) team, and in 2018, I was named Albion College’s Arthur Anderson Teacher of the Year. I truly value the ability to communicate scientific results to students and others and annually speak to thousands of people. NASA and the NSF currently fund my research projects related to the Origins of Life (i.e., Astrobiology) and focused on understanding the impact history of the Earth-Moon system and how those impacts affected the conditions for life on Earth. Follow me on Twitter at @astrodiva.

Nicolle Zellner (right) – I am a professor of physics at Albion College (Albion, MI) where I teach introductory and advanced astronomy and physics courses and regularly mentor undergraduate physics students (including Marci!). During the 2006-2007 field season, I was a member of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) team, and in 2018, I was named Albion College’s Arthur Anderson Teacher of the Year. I truly value the ability to communicate scientific results to students and others and annually speak to thousands of people. NASA and the NSF currently fund my research projects related to the Origins of Life (i.e., Astrobiology) and focused on understanding the impact history of the Earth-Moon system and how those impacts affected the conditions for life on Earth. ——————————————————————————————————————————– Marci Howdyshell (left) – I am a physicist and a lover of all things science-related! I grew up in Rochester, Michigan and studied Physics, Math and Spanish at Albion College. There, I had the exciting opportunity to participate in the Longstreet Meteorite Project with Professor Nicolle Zellner. I went on to obtain my Ph.D. in Physics at Ohio State University. During this time I discovered my passion for outreach and co-founded and co-directed the Scientific Thinkers Outreach Program, which utilizes a team of volunteers to inspire elementary school students to enjoy and embrace science. I spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Vanderbilt University Center for Science Outreach in Nashville, Tennessee, teaching interdisciplinary research-based science to 9th – 12th grade students. I continue to be a lifelong learner and teacher!

I am a Ph.D. student in mineralogy at the Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy, and Mineral Resources at the Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic). My research is focused on chromium- and titanium-rich troilites from enstatite-rich meteorites. As a person deeply in love with peculiar minerals, I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to study such rare minerals as those found in enstatite-rich meteorites. Studying meteorites is such as exciting research field by itself. The chance to contribute to the knowledge about the Universe even a little fills me with joy. Also, it comforts me when everything does not go according to plan during the research.

Norm Lehrman is a recently retired exploration geologist with over 45 years experience. His career involved fieldwork in over 35 countries on every continent except Antarctica. While stationed in Australia, Norm and his wife, Cookie, became interested in collecting Australites, which ultimately led to a generalized passion for tektites, impactites, meteorites and related materials. In 1999 they founded the Tektite Source business (www.TektiteSource.com) which has evolved into one of the world’s premier providers of tektite and impactite specimens. Norm has retired to a ranch near Spokane, Washington, where they continue to serve tektite aficionados worldwide.

Paul is the webmaster for all of The Meteorite Exchange’s websites including Meteorite Times Magazine. His fascination with all things space related began as a young boy during the Space Race. His free time is divided between meteorites, astrophotography, webmaster, and the daily operations of the ecommerce website www.meteorites-for-sale.com.

Bob is a retired aerospace engineer living in Southern California, and has been recovering meteorites from the Southwest U.S. Deserts since 1995.

Roberto Vargas hails from Bristol, Connecticut. His meteorite journey spans the cosmos, as he’s not just a collector and dealer but a dedicated hunter as well. Roberto’s personal collection is a testament to his passion, showcasing a profound focus on US witnessed falls alongside an eclectic assortment of Lunars, Martians, Ungrouped achondrites, and carbonaceous chondrites.

Steve Brittenham became interested in the physical sciences at an early age, wreaking havoc at home by constantly disassembling household items to see how they worked (but much to his parents’ chagrin, only occasionally putting them back together again). The prototypical “geek”, he entered several science fairs and was selected as a Westinghouse Science Talent Search national finalist for his work on ionic cooling. Steve attended UC Berkeley during the counter-culture heydays, but since nerdy engineering students were exiled to a remote corner of the campus, he was able to focus on a B.S. degree in electrical engineering and computer science. While his emphasis was on bioelectronics, life has a wicked sense of humor and Steve ended up instead employed at Hewlett Packard for 36 years doing signal processing and system architecture work on disk, optical, and tape drives. For fun, he’d analyze meteorites in HP’s material sciences lab and from that was able to contribute to a paper with UCLA and the University of Singapore describing the NWA 6693 achondrite meteorite. Later, noted thin section photographer Tom Phillips convinced Steve to buy a surplus ex-NASA Zeiss Ultraphot III microscope. After three hours manually positioning the microscope to individually acquire 354 images for his first full slide stitch, Steve got lazy and automated its stage and camera to generate hands-free multi-gigapixel stitches, now taking only about thirty minutes. His meteorite collection exceeds five hundred in number, which he selects from to augment various talks and displays he often gives to promote meteoritics as a hobby.

I have lived in Tucson AZ since age 2, and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show was first held in my elementary school cafeteria in 1955. Imagine the irony of now going to the Tucson Show as a member of the meteorite world since I was fortunate to be a good friend and neighbor of Jim Kriegh who discovered the Gold Basin meteorite field! I was one of his team of three who spent two years mapping the field for the University of Arizona and fortunately spent time taking photos of the project even though we three had no idea that it would be such a life changing event for all of us.

Vincent Stelluti studied physics at the University of Montreal and geology at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Now retired, he taught physics at the college level, first in Africa and then in Quebec. He became interested in meteorites by reading the book “Le Fer de Dieu” by Théodore Monod and Brigitte Zanda.

Yaozhu Li is a Ph.D. candidate at Western University, supervised by Dr. Phil McCausland and Dr. Roberta Flemming, studying achondrites formation and deformation using terrestrial samples as the comparison. He researches microstructure developments in olivine grains in ureilites, lunar breccia, and martian SNC meteorites to understand their deformation history. Yaozhu has won several awards and grants for his proposed research. Recently, his proposed research on geochemistry in lunar breccia won GSA Graduate Research Award and was further selected by Bayerisches Geoinstitut to conduct a short-term research internship in the 2023 Spring working with Dr. Audrey Bouvier, where he will study REE abundance and U/Pb isotopes in newly classified lunar breccia and Apollo samples.