Dr. Horton E. Newsom – NESC Academy Biography

Dr. Horton E. Newsom earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California Berkeley, and his doctorate at the University of Arizona, and is currently a senior research scientist and research professor within the Institute of Meteoritics and Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico. He is a geologist and geochemist with more than 40 years of experience with planetary science, including the origin and composition of the Earth and Moon, and the study of terrestrial impact craters around the world and their hydrothermal systems. He has extensively studied surface processes on Mars including impact craters, sedimentary deposits, and phyllosilicate (clay) bearing terrains. He has also studied the origin and chemistry of Martian surficial materials using data from the Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray spectrometer experiment.

Dr. Newsom has been involved with landing site selection for several Mars missions, including the Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), and future human landing sites. He is a co-investigator and science team member on the ChemCam Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument on the MSL “Curiosity,” currently investigating habitable terrains on Mars.

Dr. Newsom is actively involved with the daily operations of Curiosity, including planning science observations, and publication of the results. Dr. Newsom is also responsible for advisement of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral student research, and has been extensively involved in NASA-funded educational outreach to K-12 teachers, and to local middle school and high school students, and Native American colleges.