Geologist Neal named to NASA Lunar Science Institute | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Geologist Neal named to NASA Lunar Science Institute Geologist Neal named to NASA Lunar Science Institute Published: March 09, 2009 Author: William G. Gilroy The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has named Clive R. Neal, professor of civil engineering and geological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, to a select team of scientists tasked with growing the nation’s technical capabilities in lunar science and developing educational opportunities in space science. The initial members of the agency’s newly formed Lunar Science Institute (LSI) represent Notre Dame, the Lunar & Planetary Institute, the Universities of Arizona, Houston, and Maryland, Rice University, Southwest Research Institute and National Institute of Polar Research. The team will investigate if the Earth and moon were resurfaced by asteroids and comets billions of years ago and how such heavy bombardment influenced the evolution of life on earth. In his role on LSI, Neal is part of a team that will be studying rocks collected at all of the Apollo landing sites, but especially those gathered around the Apollo 16 site. These particular regolith breccias (rocks formed by shock and the intense heat of an impact) are believed to be on the order of 4 billion years old and theorized to have been formed during a time and in an environment in which intense impacts were common. Extracting samples from existing breccias, the team will analyze the rocks via optical and electron microscopy to more conclusively determine the age of the breccias and the veracity of the lunar cataclysm hypothesis, as well as its probable effect on the inner solar system. In addition to studying the origin and evolution of the moon, Neal also focuses on the geochemical and environmental consequences of plate interactions and petrogenesis of Large Igneous Provinces, as well as the environmental effects of heavy pollution. A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 1990, Neal is a member of the Mineralogical Society of America, Geological Society of America, American Geophysical Union, American Association for the Advancement of Science and National Association of Geoscience Teachers. He currently is chair of NASA’s Lunar Exploration Analysis Group and the Science and Technology Panel of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Neal earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Leicester and a doctorate in geology and geochemistry from the University of Leeds. Prior to joining the Notre Dame faculty, he served as a visiting scientist at Johnson Space Center, Fulbright fellow and research associate at the University of Tennessee and lecturer at the University of East Anglia. Contact: Clive R. Neal, professor of civil engineering and geological sciences, 574-631-8328, neal.1@nd.edu Posted In: Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 05, 2022 Astrophysicists find evidence for the presence of the first stars October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 22, 2022 Climate-prepared countries are losing ground, latest ND-GAIN index shows For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn