The purpose of the Gerald Soffen Award is to provide encouragement, motivation, and recognition to our most outstanding future astrobiologists. There will be a single award of $1,000. The winner will be announced at the meeting.

Eligibility Requirements

• The award is intended primarily for students at the graduate level
• However, individuals at the undergraduate level are also eligible to compete
• The student must be enrolled in a degree program at the time of abstract submission
• Postdoctoral students are not eligible
• Eligibility is open to both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens

Abstract Requirements

• Only one abstract per student will be considered for the award
• The student must be the senior author of the abstract, the major contributor to the material presented, and the person presenting the poster
• The majority of the material should not have been previously presented at another meeting

The Criteria for Selection are

• Originality of the research
• Quality of the execution
• Impact to the field
• Organization and clarity of presentation