06/16/08-06/20/08
Josep Comas i Sola International Summer School in Astrobiology
The 2008 Summer School program will be focussed on the exploration of icy worlds orbiting the giant planets of our Solar System. These satellites are important astrobiology targets in the exploration plans of space agencies as reflected in the successes of the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn.
http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/UIMP/IcyWorlds/

07/13/08-07/20/08
37th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
The 37th COSPAR Scientific Assembly will be held in Montreal, Canada, including sessions relevant to astrobiology – Making the Connection: Astromaterials and Impact Studies and Circumstellar, Interstellar and Protostellar Organic Chemistry. See http://www.cospar-assembly.org/

07/20/08-07/25/08
Gordon Research Conference Molecular Basis of Microbial One-Carbon Metabolism
The 12th one-carbon meeting will cover a variety of topics, including: (a) genomics, metagenomics, and proteomic studies of microbial communities in diverse environments that are increasing our understanding of autotrophy and C-1 metabolism and the evolution of these pathways; (b) redox regulation of carbon cycles and the interrelationship between the carbon cycle and other biogeochemical cycles (sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen); © novel pathways for carbon assimilation; (d) biotechnology related to C-1 metabolism; (e) novel enzyme mechanisms including channeling of C-1 intermediates during metabolism; (f) the involvement of C-1 compounds in the origins of metabolism and life; and (f) the relationship between metal homeostasis and the global carbon cycle. See http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?year=2008&program=molbasis

07/27/08-08/02/08
World Summit on Ancient Microscopic Fossils
The IGPP Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life (CSEOL) at UCLA will convene the World Summit on Ancient Microscopic Fossils to stimulate and encourage high-quality productive research on ancient, Precambrian, microscopic fossils in preparation for return of Martian samples. The Summit thus supports two fundamental goals of the NAI and the astrobiological community: (1) to better understand the history of early life on Earth; and (2) to prepare effectively for the study of samples to be returned from Mars.

Planetary Protection: Policies and Practices

August 28, 2007-August 30, 2007

NASA has developed this course on planetary protection policies and practices to familiarize current and future practitioners with NASA and COSPAR planetary protection programs. The course provides a comprehensive review of all applicable policies, practices and procedures necessary to implement a successful planetary protection program, emphasizing integration of managerial, administrative, and laboratory aspects of planetary protection.

Registration Deadline: July 27, 2007

Brochure

Registration form

NASA Planetary Science Summer School

July 23, 2007-July 27, 2007

Applications are due May 15, 2007, for NASA’s 19th Annual Planetary Science Summer School, which will hold two sessions this summer, July 23-27 and August 6-10, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.

Science and engineering post-doctoral and doctoral students with a strong interest in careers in planetary exploration are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens (“green card” holders) and must be living within the U.S. at the time of application.

The student teams will develop the equivalent of an early concept study responsive to a typical NASA Announcement of Opportunity for robotic missions, prepare a presentation for a proposal authorization review, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. At the end of the week, students will have a clearer understanding of the relationships among mission design, cost, and schedule, and the trade-offs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the opportunity to acquire high-quality science. They will also understand the lifecycle of a robotic space mission.

Partial financial support is available to a limited number of individuals to help defray the expense of travel and lodging only. Applications are to be submitted electronically by May 15, 2007.

For further information and to fill out an application, visit http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ or contact Ms. Anita M. Sohus, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, M/S 111-B29,4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109; phone 818-354-6613; e-mail Anita.M.Sohus@jpl.nasa.gov.

Bioastronomy 2007: Molecules, Microbes and Extraterrestrial Life

July 16, 2007-July 20, 2007

Bioastronomy 2007: Molecules, Microbes and Extraterrestrial Life will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico from July 16-20, 2007, and will be the only major international astrobiology meeting in 2007. This meeting will serve to bring together an international interdisciplinary group of researchers to share and discuss the latest findings related to origins of solar systems, space resources and exploration for life, topics highly relevant to the new NASA Exploration vision. As an outcome of this meeting we expect to produce a refereed Conference Volume. In addition to the oral and poster sessions, AbGradCon will be meeting at the same venue on July 14 and 15 and there are a variety of Education programs and public events offered in conjunction with the meeting.

For more information: http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/bioast07.htm

Josep Comas i Sola International Summer School in Astrobiology

July 02, 2007-July 06, 2007

The International Summer School is co-sponsored by NAI and the Centro de Astrobiologia. It’s held in Santander, Spain each summer. More info: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/uimp/marsexpl/

Planetary Protection: Policies and Practices

November 14, 2006-November 16, 2006

Space Life Sciences Laboratory
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

Registration Form
Brochure
Registration Deadline: October 27, 2006

NASA has developed this course on planetary protection policies and practices to familiarize current and future practitioners with NASA and COSPAR planetary protection programs. The course provides a comprehensive review of all applicable policies, practices and procedures necessary to implement a successful planetary protection program, emphasizing integration of managerial, administrative, and laboratory aspects of planetary protection.

Pale Blue Dot III

September 18, 2006-September 20, 2006

Pale Blue Dot III will be held at the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum and will offer a venue for the development of ideas and methods that may be used for the detection of life at the planetary scale beyond Earth. http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pale_blue_dot/index.shtml

Computational Astrobiology Summer School

July 24, 2006-August 11, 2006

Honolulu, Hawaii

The University of Hawaii Astrobiology Institute (UH-NAI) is hosting the Computational Astrobiology Summer School from July 24 until August 11, 2006. This is an excellent opportunity for graduate students in computer science and related areas to learn about astrobiology, and to carry out substantial projects related to the field.

More information is available at http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/cass.htm

Planetary Science Summer School

July 24, 2006-July 28, 2006

Session 1: July 24 – July 28, 2006 (18 participants)
Session 2: July 31 – August 4, 2006 (18 participants)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Applications are due May 15, 2006, for NASA’s 18th Annual Planetary Science Summer School, which will hold two sessions this summer, July 24-28 and July 31 -August 4, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Science and engineering post-doctoral and graduate students with a strong interest in careers in planetary exploration are encouraged to apply. Preference is given to U.S. citizens. The student teams will carry out the equivalent of an early concept study responsive to a selected NASA Announcement of Opportunity, prepare a proposal authorization review presentation, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. At the end of the week, students will have a clearer understanding of the relationships among mission design, cost, and schedule, and the trade-offs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the opportunity to acquire high-quality science. They will also understand the lifecycle of a space mission. Partial financial support is available to a limited number of individuals to help defray the expense of travel and lodging only. Applications are to be submitted electronically by May 15, 2006 at http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ .

For further information, visit http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ or contact

Ms. Anita M. Sohus
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
M/S 111-B29
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
phone 818-354-6613
e-mail Anita.M.Sohus@jpl.nasa.gov

Josep Comas i Sola Intenational Summer School in Astrobiology

July 10, 2006-July 14, 2006

The International Summer School is co-sponsored by NAI and the Centro de Astrobiologia. It’s held in Santander, Spain each summer. More info: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/uimp/origins/

Planetary Protection: Policies and Practices

April 18-20, 2006

Registration Form
Brochure
Registration Deadline: March 31, 2006

This NASA-developed course is designed to familiarize current and future planetary protection practitioners with the NASA and COSPAR Planetary Protection Programs. The course will review all applicable policies, practices and procedures necessary to implement a successful planetary protection program and will emphasize integration of the managerial, administrative and laboratory components of planetary protection.

Europa Focus Group Workshop

The Europa Focus Group Workshop will be held February 27-28, 2006 at NASA Ames Research Center. If you have any questions contact Ron Greeley greeley@asu.edu.

Discover the Microbes Within!

March 10-12, 2006
The Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, MA 02543

“Discover the Microbes Within!” is a 3-day workshop designed for high school and undergraduate educators. Participants will learn about the diverse ways that bacteria evolve and symbiotically interact with insects, in an environment that fosters close interactions with research scientists and other teachers. Basic topics and lesson plans cover insect collection, insect biodiversity, the mutualistic and parasitic bacteria (Wolbachia) that live within them, DNA extraction, and simple molecular biology and evolutionary analysis skills. For more information, please visit our website at  http://jbpc.mbl.edu/microbial-workshop-2005.html

Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) 2006

The Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) 2006 will be held March 26-30, 2006 in Washington, D.C., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Bookmark the AbScicon website at http://abscicon2006.arc.nasa.gov/ for your primary source of the latest AbSciCon2006 meeting information.

Astrobiology is a novel approach to the scientific study of the living universe. It seeks to understand the origin and evolution of life on Earth, to determine if life exists elsewhere in the universe, and to predict the future of life on Earth and in the rest of the universe. To this end it relies on the diversity of disciplines and has inspired new meta-disciplines. Abstracts are solicited on all topics that span the enormous range of astrobiological themes. The meeting format will include a limited number of plenary talks that will complement a larger number of oral presentations in parallel thematic sessions. As has always been the case at previous AbSciCon’s, the poster sessions, including the NAI sponsored Student Poster Competition, will continue to be a particularly important and successful venue for the exchange of scientific ideas.

Symposia Selections

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Early Bird Registration Deadline: February 26, 2006

Molecular Geomicrobiology Short Course

The Molecular Geomicrobiology Short Course sessions will be held at the University of California , Berkeley December 3-4, 2005. http://www.minsocam.org/msa/sc/MolGeoBio_descrp.html

This short course will review progress that has resulted recently from integrative molecular approaches applied to problems in environmental microbiology, geomicrobiology, and astrobiology; – and discuss areas of high potential for future research.

Senior undergraduate and graduate students are strongly encouraged to attend. The NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) is providing funds for 20 students to participate in the short course and will cover their registration and accommodation costs (for non- Bay area students). In rare cases , transportation support may be available. To apply for these scholarships, please contact Javiera at: javiera@seismo.berkeley.edu

Please apply as soon as possible. Applications received after November 1, 2005 will be considered only if slots remain (and after November 1, on a first come basis).

In the application, please state your name, recent and/or current university affiliation(s), and areas of interest (one paragraph). Please explain briefly (few sentences) the basis for your request for financial support. If you request special consideration for travel support, please have a faculty member send a brief accompanying email confirming that no other support is available (if you are an undergraduate not yet enrolled in graduate studies, state this).

Dates : Short Course sessions are December 3 and 4, 2005 starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday and end early afternoon on Sunday so people can attend the American Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco , CA that starts Monday, December 5. There is a reception Friday, December 2 from 7:00-10:00 pm.

Location : The sessions will be held at the University of California , International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave., Berkeley, CA 94720-2320 ; phone (510) 642-9490, (530) 757-3259; fax: (530) 757-7943.

Conveners :  Jillian F. Banfield and Javiera Cervini-Silva, Kenneth Nealson

SHORT COURSE TOPICS:

1. Molecular Geomicrobiology J. Banfield, J. Cervini-Silva, K. Nealson
2. Catalysis and Prebiotic Synthesis: Montmorillonite-Catalyzed Synthesis of RNA oligomers J. Ferris
3. Building the biomarker tree of life. J. Brocks and A. Pearson
4. What genetics offers geobiology D. Newman and J. Gralnick
5. Carbon and nitrogen cycling – a molecular history J. Raymond
6. Metabolic and genomic evolution over Earth history K. Nelson
7. Enzymology of electron transport: energy generation with geochemical consequences J. Fredrickson and T. Di Christina
8. Siderophores S. Kraemer , A.Butler, P. Borer, J Cervini-Silva
9. The microbe mineral interface G. DeStasio
10. Size matters: nanocrystalline products of biomineralization B. Gilbert, J. Banfield
11. Geomicrobiological cycling of iron (electron shuttling) A. Kappler & Kristina Straub
12. Microbial population dynamics through the lens of extreme environments. R. Whitaker & J. Banfield
13. Communities and the organization of metabolism. K. Nealson

LAPLACE 2006 Astrobiology Graduate Winter School

The Life and Planets Astrobiology Center (LAPLACE) 2006 Astrobiology Graduate Winter School “Habitable Planets around Sun-Like Stars: Common or Rare” will be held at the University of Arizona January 4-9, 2006. http://www.laplace.arizona.edu/

The School will provide graduate students from all disciplines related to astrobiology an opportunity to research and develop their own ideas about the likelihood of habitable planets surrounding sun-like stars. The school will emphasize hands-on learning techniques including day and night-time observing on research telescopes at Kitt Peak Observatory, tours of the University of Arizona’s Mirror Lab and Tree Ring Lab and activities in the Arizona Radio Observatories’ Astrochemistry Lab. Students will also have chances to explore some of the unique aspects of the Tucson area including its unique geology and clear dark skies.

Planetary Protection: Policies and Practices

November 15-17, 2005
The Center of Marine Biotechnology (COMB)
701 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Registration Form
Brochure
Registration Deadline: October 31, 2005

This NASA-developed course is designed to familiarize current and future planetary protection practitioners with the NASA and COSPAR Planetary Protection Programs. The course will review all applicable policies, practices and procedures necessary to implement a successful planetary protection program and will emphasize integration of the managerial, administrative and laboratory components of planetary protection.

Protostars and Planets V (PP-V)

PP-V will be held at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaii on October 24-28, 2005. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/ppv2005/ppv2005.infopage.html

The goals of the meeting are four-fold: to present an overview of the major areas of progress since PP- IV; to bring researchers together for discussions and exchanges of ideas; to strengthen future interdisciplinary research in these areas; and to encourage the participation of young researchers and advanced students in these fields of research.

Second Astrobiology Graduate Conference
August 17-21, 2005

Since the birth of the Astrobiology discipline, there has been a need for a forum where graduate students and young researchers can present their research and discuss the field of astrobiology among peers. This conference hopes to provide that forum and meet the following goals:

1. Provide a forum where graduate students can give scientific lectures to their peers
2. Introduce students to astrobiology science in disciplines other than their own.
3. Train the next leaders in astrobiology research
4. Provide a situation where a student can enhance their own network of possible collaborators, contacts and resources.
5. Provide the opportunity for graduate students to come together and create/foster new interdisciplinary collaborative research and friendships.

NASA Planetary Science Summer School

NASA’s 17th Annual Planetary Science Summer School will hold two sessions this summer, July 25-29 and August 1-5, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Applications are due June 3, 2005. Science and engineering post-doctoral and graduate students with a strong interest in careers in planetary exploration are encouraged to apply. Preference is given to U.S. citizens.

The student teams will carry out the equivalent of an early concept study responsive to a selected NASA Announcement of Opportunity, prepare a proposal authorization review presentation, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. At the end of the week, students will have a clearer understanding of the relationships among mission design, cost, and schedule, and the trade-offs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the opportunity to acquire high-quality science. They will also understand the lifecycle of a space mission. Partial financial support is available to a limited number of individuals to help defray the expense of travel and lodging only. Applications are to be submitted electronically by June 3, 2005 at http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ .

For further information, visit http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ or contact Ms. Anita M. Sohus, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, M/S 311-100, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109; phone 818-354-6613; e-mail Anita.M.Sohus@jpl.nasa.gov .

Josep Comas i Solà International Summer School in Astrobiology
July 10-15 , 2005
Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo
Palacio de Magdalena, Santander, Cantabria (Spain)

Earth System Processes 2

The Earth System Processes 2 meeting, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada August 8-11, will be an interdisciplinary, integrative scientific meeting exploring the interactions among Earth’s lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biota. The meeting is being co-sponsored by the Geological Society of America and Geological Association of Canada, with support from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

Sessions for the meeting have been organized around three basic themes: Ancient Earth Systems, Modern Earth System Processes, and Earth System Futures. For more information go to the meeting website at http://geosociety.org/meetings/esp2/prog.htm .

Those who have an interest in Planetary and Solar System Exploration look for the Session Titled: The Future of Solar System Exploration
Organizer: Jack Farmer ( jfarmer@asu.edu ; 480-965-6748)

Description: The next two decades of Solar System exploration promises to be both vigorous and exciting, driven by a continuing search for habitable environments and life and supported by government initiatives that will provide for the development of new technologies that will broaden our access to space and enable human missions to the Moon and Mars. “The Future of Solar System Exploration” will present an integrated overview of the future of exploration in our Solar System, with an emphasis on the search for extraterrestrial habitable environments and life via methods of robotic and human exploration. The session will include a variety of topics, including astrobiological missions to explore for potentially habitable planets and moons in our Solar System; sample return missions and attending issues of planetary protection; efforts to prepare for the human exploration and colonization of the Moon and Mars, as well as advances in technology needed to support advanced propulsion systems, surface exploration and habitation; methods and technologies for the prediction and mitigation of terrestrial impact hazards; and related topics.

If you have any questions about the meeting or Special Session, please feel free to contact Jack Farmer at jfarmer@asu.edu .

Planetary Protection: Policies and Practices
April 19-21, 2005
Seymour Center, Long Marine Laboratory
Santa Cruz, CA

April 2005 Registration Form and Brochure (114 KB)
Registration Deadline: April 1, 2005

This NASA-developed course is designed to familiarize current and future planetary protection practitioners with the NASA and COSPAR Planetary Protection Programs. The course will review all applicable policies, practices and procedures necessary to implement a successful planetary protection program and will emphasize integration of the managerial, administrative and laboratory components of planetary protection.

Hawaii Astrobiology – Winter School
Water on Earth and in Space – January 10-21, 2005

Planetary Protection: Policies and Practices
October 27-29, 2004

Colorado Springs, CO
Registration Deadline: October 8, 2004

This NASA-developed course is designed to familiarize current and future planetary protection practitioners with the NASA and COSPAR Planetary Protection Programs. The course will review all applicable policies, practices and procedures necessary to implement a successful planetary protection program and will emphasize integration of the managerial, administrative and laboratory components of planetary protection.

NAI Insight Courses

Are you an astronomer or geologist who would like to know more about biology? Or, perhaps you’re a biologist or a chemist who would like to know more about planetary processes? If so, you may be interested in attending an Astrobiology Insight Course offered by the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

NAI/CIAR Workshop: Lateral Gene Transfer and the Origins of Eukaryotes

May 6-8, 2004

Josep Comas i Solà International Summer School in Astrobiology

Mars exploration is central to astrobiology. By studying Mars, we learn about the planetary evolution of Mars and the conditions that may have supported life in the past or might enable life to exist there today. For this reason, in this year when so much new information on Mars has become available, we chose to devote the Josep Comas i Solà Summer School in Astrobiology to the red planet.

ABGRADCON 2004

The purpose of this conference is to bring together graduate students from many areas of expertise (astronomy, oceanography, planetary science, chemistry, climatology, astrogeopaleobiochemistry, etc) to discuss their work and how it relates to the fundamental questions regarding life in the universe.

Past Astrobiology Workshop and Conference Links

• 2006 AGU Fall Meeting (December 11-15, 2006)
• Workshop on Early Planetary Differentiation: A Multi-Planetary & Multi-Perspective (December 8-12, 2006)
• GSA National Meeting (October 22-25, 2006)
• EANA Workshop (October 16-17, 2006)
• DPS2006 Meeting (October 8-13, 2006)
• Europlanet#1 (September 18-22, 2006)
• Extremophiles 2006 (September 17-21, 2006)
• Pale Blue Dot III (September 17-20, 2006)
• 11th International International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (August 20-25, 2006)
• Gordon Conference on the Molecular Basis of Microbial One-Carbon Metabolism (August 6-11, 2006)
• Acraman Workshop and Field Trip (August 4-9, 2006)
• Astrobiology Science Conference (2006)
• Eighth NASA Exobiology Principal Investigator’s Symposium (2005)
• NAI2005: Biennial Meeting of the Astrobiology Institute (2005)
• Astrobiology Science Conference (2004)
• Life Detection: Mars and Beyond (2003)
• Second Astrobiology Conference (2002)
• Exploring Earth’s Extremes (2001)
• First Astrobiology Science Conference (2000)
• Workshop on Evolutionary Biology (PDF format – requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader )
• Astrobiology Working Document (2003)
• Biennial Meeting of the Astrobiology Institute (2003)
• Societal Implications of Astrobiology (1999)
• Astrobiology Roadmap Workshop (1998)
• Pale Blue Dot II Workshop (1999)
• Genomics on the ISS Workshop (1999)
• Mars Deep Water Sounding Workshop (1998)
• Mars Deep Drilling Workshop (1998)
• Evolution and Development Workshop (1998)
• Piggyback Missions for Astrobiology Workshop (1998)
• Advanced Measurement Systems Workshop (1998)
• Evolution and Ecology Beyond the Planet of Origin (1998)
• Arctic & Antarctic Access Undersea Workshop Report (1998)
• Exozodiacal Dust Workshop (1997)
• Pale Blue Dot — Detecting Other Habitable Worlds (1996)
• First Astrobiology Workshop (1996)

AbSciCon 2008

April 15, 2008-April 17, 2008

Astrobiology is the study of the origins, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. AbSciCon 2008 will convene the global community of scholars engaged in this interdisciplinary effort. Interested scientists and educators are invited to participate.

The meeting will combine plenary events with focused topical sessions that broadly relate to the major scientific themes:

• The Astronomical and Planetary Context for Life
• The Origin and Evolution of Life
• The Search for Life in our Solar System and Beyond

More Information: http://abscicon.seti.org/

08/24/08-08/29/08
15th International Conference on the Origin of Life
The 15th International Conference on the Origin of Life is scheduled to take place in Florence, Italy, from 24 to 29 August, 2008. For more information: http://www.dbag.unifi.it/issol2008/

09/01/08-09/03/08
8th European Workshop on Astrobiology EANA 08
The 8th European Workshop on Astrobiology EANA 08 will be held in Neuchatel, Switzerland, September 1-3, 2008
For more information: http://www.space-x.eu/EANA08/

09/22/08-09/26/08
First IAA Symposium on Searching for Life Signatures
The first IAA Symposium on Searching for Life Signatures will be held in Paris, France, September 22-26, 2008.

For more information: http://iaaweb.org/content/view/295/434/