Welcome to the NAI Newsletter! The Newsletter is a compendium of announcements, events, updates, and news items related to the NAI and its research. If you have news items or suggestions you can send them to the editor, Marco Boldt at: Marco.Boldt@nasa.gov.
Newsletter for July 19, 2006
- NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Accepting Applications: Deadline August 1
- NAI Hosts "NASA and the Navajo Nation" Sustainability Seminar August 10-11
- Second Annual Summer Student Seminar Series Begins July 28
Reminder: Annual Report submissions due 7/28/2006
It's that time again for NAI's Annual Report. Annual report entries are collected by team and published on the NAI webpage in the "team" section. Reports include science projects, team members, and publications, as well as Education and Public Outreach, Focus Group activities, and other special projects. See last year's entries at http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/team/index.cfm
For technical questions having to do with the annual report submission site, please contact Marco Boldt at mboldt@mail.arc.nasa.gov or (650) 604-3769.
For all other questions, please contact Shige Abe at sabe@mail.arc.nasa.gov or (650) 604-1927.
Recently Published Research from the NAI
Astrobiology EPO, Undergrads, Grads, Postdocs
NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Accepting Applications: Deadline August 1
A reminder applications are now being accepted for the August 1 cycle of the NAI Postdoctoral Program, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
The NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides opportunities for Ph.D., Sc.D., or M.D. scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability to perform research on problems largely of their own choosing, yet compatible with the research interests of NASA and the member teams of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
NAI Postdoctoral Fellows become full members of the NAI, and, as such, are included in the NAI database and on-line directory, invited to attend and submit abstracts for NAI General Meetings, given access to NAI collaborative tools, and are eligible for additional NAI funding opportunities. NAI Fellows have, therefore, a wide spectrum of opportunities for further collaboration with NAI researchers, as well as the broader scientific community. In this role, NAI Fellows act as 'Ambassadors' amongst the NAI Teams, and between the NAI and the broader scientific community, - helping to define and lead the new discipline of astrobiology.
For additional information about the program see http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc .
NAI Hosts "NASA and the Navajo Nation" Sustainability Seminar August 10-11
In October, 2005, NAI began an innovative, pilot project focused on creating educational materials that weave together NASA science and Navajo cultural teachings. To mark the end of the project and the beginning of new collaborations, NAI is hosting a "Sustainability Seminar" in Window Rock, Arizona - the seat of the Navajo Nation - on August 10-11, 2006. The goal of this seminar is to bring together educators from NASA, the Navajo Nation, and other tribes to use the pilot project as a context for discussing issues with "dual-learning," share ideas and resources, and network toward future collaborations. Please contact Daniella Scalice for more information at
Second Annual Summer Student Seminar Series Begins July 28
Join NAI for the Polycom and WebEx broadcast of the second annual Summer Student Seminar Series.
The talks will be given on Friday, July 28th and Friday August 11th at 12:00pm PDT (9:00am HT/1:00pm MDT/2:00pm CDT/3:00pm EDT.) Speakers will present from the University of Hawaii, the SETI Institute, the University of Tennessee, Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Rhode Island.
July 28th talks include:
Constantinos Makrides, Iona College
"Modeling Water Production in Comets and Graphical Representation of Martian Atmospheric Species"
Jessica Haseltine, Abilene Christian College
"Radial Transport of Particles in N-Body Simulations of Planet Formation"
Karen Horning, Florida Institute of Technology
"Looking for Extrasolar Planets in Stellar Spectra: Spitzer Observations during the Secondary Eclipse of HD209458b"
Catherine Elder, Cornell University
"The Secondary Eclipse of HD209458b using Spitzer Space Telescope"
Shannon Tronick, Syracuse University
"Chemical Derivatization for GC-MS Analysis of Organic Compounds on Mars: Part II"
Jim Doty, Rice University
TBD
For connection information, please contact Estelle Dodson
NAI Student Travel Funds Available for 2006 GSA Annual Meeting
The NAI has awarded $4000 to support student participation in "Changes in Ocean and Atmospheric redox state and the evolution of life" session of the 2006 GSA Annual Meeting. Session co-conveners, Drs. Ganqing Jiang and Andrey Bekker, invite students to contribute papers that examine sedimentological, paleobiological, elemental, isotopic, and mineralogical redox indicators, and the global effects of life on composition of the atmosphere and ocean. Students interested in applying for travel funds should submit an abstract to the session, and should contact Dr. Ganqing Jiang
This session is co-sponsored by the Paleontological Society and the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division, and is aimed at bringing together the ideas of specialists who are using various tools to constrain the redox state of modern, Phanerozoic, and Precambrian ocean and atmosphere.
For more information about the 2006 GSA Annual meeting, visit http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2006/.
