-- Announcements --
AbSciCon Abstract Deadline this Friday!
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, (http://www.itcdc.com/)
Preliminary Agenda Overview
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Registration begins at 2:00 pm
Poster set up
Smithsonian Special Event/Talks
Monday - Thursday, March 27 -30, 2006
Plenary talks and numerous breakouts
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Harold P. Klein Lecture
Gala reception at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum
Plenary talks and numerous breakouts
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Plenary talks and numerous breakouts
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Breakfast Banquet
Plenary talks
NAI Student Poster Competition Winners Announced
Conference ends at 1:00 pm
Registration is open! The abstract submission deadline is January 13, 2006. (http://abscicon.arc.nasa.gov)
Questions? Email the AbSciCon2006 logistics team at (abscicon@mail.arc.nasa.gov)
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The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology
The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology is a joint program between the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) and the American Philosophical Society (APS) providing research grants in support of astrobiological field studies undertaken by junior scientists less than 5 years beyond their Ph.D. Non-NAI members are also eligible to apply.
The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology is open to field studies in any area of interest to astrobiology. Grants may be used for travel and related expenses, including field equipment up to $5,000. Applications will be reviewed by a committee made up of members of the NAI, the APS, and the wider science community as needed. Recipients will be designated as Lewis and Clark Field Scholars in Astrobiology.
Deadline: March 15 Additional information, including the application forms and instructions is available at the APS's Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology page. (http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/astrobiology.htm)
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CSTB Computing and Biology Report Completed
Folks - after a very very long time, I am pleased (indeed, overjoyed) to inform you that the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) computing and biology report entitled "Catalyzing Inquiry at the Interface of Computing and Biology," authored by the NRC Committee on Frontiers at the Interface of Computing and Biology, and edited by John C. Wooley (committee chair) and Herbert S. Lin (study director) has been completed.
This study is the first comprehensive NRC study that suggests a high-level intellectual structure for Federal agencies for supporting work at the biology/computing interface. Perhaps most importantly, the report seeks to establish the intellectual legitimacy of a fundamentally cross-disciplinary collaboration between biologists and computer scientists. That is, while some universities are increasingly favorable to research at the intersection, life science researchers at other universities are strongly impeded in their efforts to collaborate. This report addresses these impediments and describes proven strategies for overcoming them.
An important feature of the report is the use of well-documented examples that describe clearly to individuals not trained in computer science the value and usage of computing across the biological sciences, from genes and proteins to networks and pathways, from organelles to cells, and from individual organisms to populations and ecosystems. It is hoped that these examples will be useful to students in the life sciences to motivate (continued) study in computer science that will enable them to be more facile users of computing in their future biological studies.
I am happy to provide an electronic copy of the report to you on request. Paper copies are in short supply, but we can manage that too if we don't get too many requests. Note that the report is almost 500 pages-the longest CSTB report ever!
Herb Lin, Senior Scientist
Computer Science and Telecommunications Board
The National Academies
(202) 334-3191 voice || (202) 334-2318 fax || (hlin@nas.edu)
(http://www7.nationalacademies.org/cstb/pub_biocomp.html)
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DRAFT Announcement of Opportunity: Mars Scout and Mission of Opportunity
On January 5, 2006, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) released for community review and comment a DRAFT Announcement of Opportunity (AO) titled Mars Scout and Mission of Opportunity for the opportunity to conduct Mars science investigations through cost-capped Mars Scout space flight missions. This AO, once released, will invite proposals for two types of Mars Scout investigations: Mars Scout Mission investigations launched by December 31, 2011, that involve complete spaceflight missions; and Mars Scout Mission of Opportunity investigations for the execution of appropriate scientific investigations through participation in space missions sponsored by organizations other than the NASA Mars Exploration Program including missions sponsored by non-U.S. organizations. Investigations proposed as Mars Scouts may include remote observations from Mars-orbiting spacecraft; missions that deploy aerial or landed systems to study the Martian atmosphere, surface, interior, geopotential fields, and/or deep subsurface; and sample return missions. Participation is open to all categories of organizations, foreign and domestic, including industry, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, NASA centers, and other Government agencies.
NASA welcomes critical review and comment of this DRAFT AO, which will be available from January 5, 2006, through January 31, 2006, at (http://nspires.nasaprs.com) select "Future Solicitations". Comments should be directed to Dr. Michael Meyer, Mars Program Lead Scientist, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546; E-mail: michael.a.meyer@nasa.gov, Telephone (202) 358-0307. Comments must be received prior to the comment due date. Comments are preferred in writing and may be sent by E-mail; the character string "MARS SCOUT DRAFT AO" (without quotes) should be included in the subject line of all transmissions. The identity of those submitting comments will be held in confidence.
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Announcement of Opportunity: Discovery Program 2006 and Missions of Opportunity
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is releasing a NASA Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for the Discovery Program 2006 and Missions of Opportunity. NASA intends to select a Discovery mission to launch by October 1, 2013. A Mission of Opportunity may also be selected. The Discovery Program AO solicits investigations that meet the goals of planetary system(s) exploration encompassing the scientific objectives of the NASA Solar System Division (excluding Mars) and the search for extrasolar planetary systems element of the NASA Universe Division.
Investigation teams are to be led by a single Principal Investigator (PI), with participation open to all categories of organizations, foreign and domestic, including industry, educational institutions, nonprofit organization, NASA centers, and other Government agencies. This solicitation will be open from January 3, 2006, to April 5, 2006. A Discovery Preproposal Conference will be scheduled approximately three weeks after the AO is released. Details for this conference and an expanded version of this Announcement of Intent will be posted at (http://discovery.larc.nasa.gov/discovery/). Upon the release date, the full text of the AO and all appendices will be available electronically at (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/). Questions or comments about this intention to release a Discovery AO may be addressed to Mr. Andrew Dantzler, NASA Discovery Program Director, Solar System Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001; E-mail: Andrew.Dantzler@nasa.gov, Telephone: (202) 358-1024.
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NASA Seeks Innovative ideas for Revolutionary Concepts
The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts is seeking revolutionary ideas to advance the Vision for Space Exploration. Interested parties from outside the agency are invited to submit 2006 Phase 1 proposals by February 13, 2006. http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/call/06-01.pdf
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NASA Announces Telerobotic Construction Competition
NASA's Centennial Challenges program office, in collaboration with the Spaceward Foundation, Mountain View, Calif., announced the new Telerobotic Construction Challenge. The competition awards $250,000 to teams to develop technologies enabling robots to perform complex tasks with minimal human intervention.
"The Telerobotic Challenge may directly affect how exploration is conducted on the moon," said NASA's Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Scott Horowitz. "If the Challenge can successfully demonstrate the remote assembly of simple and complex structures, many aspects of exploration in general will be affected for the better."
This Challenge will be conducted in an arena containing scattered structural building blocks. The task is to assemble the structure using multiple robotic agents remotely controlled by humans. The operators may only see and talk to the robots through communications' equipment that simulates Earth-moon time delays and restrictions. The robots must be smart enough to work together with only intermittent human direction to be successful.
The competition takes place over two years, the first in August 2007. Competition rules will be finalized in early 2006. For information about Centennial Challenges visit: (http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov)
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NASA Announces Planetary Science Vehicle Competition
NASA's Centennial Challenges program office, in collaboration with the California Space Education and Workforce Institute, Santa Maria, Calif., announced the Planetary Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Challenge. This new $250,000 competition may significantly affect how science is conducted on planets and moons with atmospheres.
"This Challenge will promote the development of innovative solutions to the way NASA performs planetary science," said NASA's Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, Scott Horowitz. "Outer space destinations, such as Mars and Saturn's satellite, Titan, are prime candidates for the types of vehicles that will compete in this Challenge."
The planetary challenge will award $250,000 to teams that can design and build an autonomously operating aerial vehicle to fly a roller-coaster flight path only using visual navigation systems. No Global Positioning System is allowed. Additional requirements include extending and retracting a probe to precisely hit multiple targets on the ground.
NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate manages the program. The competition is scheduled for October 2007. Rules for the competition will be finalized after internal review and a public comment period. For more information about Centennial Challenges visit: (http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov)
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The following new papers have been published recently by NAI members. These and other recent NAI funded research are presented on the NAI member portal and collected in the NAI Research Highlights Archive – http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/research/. In this archive, you can link to the papers and any press materials that may have been generated about them.
If you have an upcoming or recent publication, please tell us about it as soon as possible. We will work with your institution to produce press releases, publicize the paper on the NAI website, and pre-populate your team's annual report with your publication. Please send any information to Krisstina Wilmoth krisstina.l.wilmoth@nasa.gov
Biosignatures from Earth-Like Planets Around M Dwarfs
Researchers from NAI’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory Team published their research in the Dec. 2005 issue of Astrobiology. They suggest that planets circling M stars may be good locations to search for evidence of biosignature gases by a future space-based telescope
Microbial Sulfur Disproportionation and Accelerated Oxygenation at Earth's Surface
Researchers from NAI's Carnegie Institution of Washington Team published a study in this week's Science using high-precision measurements of a rare sulfur isotope, 33S, to establish that microbial sulfur disproportionation was in place almost half a billion years earlier than previously thought. This could imply that Earth's surface may have become progressively more oxygenated during the middle Proterozoic
Mars Rover Opportunity and Rio Tinto
NAI Affiliate Members at the Centro de Astrobiologia, and others have one of eight research articles focusing on Opportunity in this month's Earth and Planetary Science Letters. The paper explores the relationship between Meridiani and Rio Tinto, specifically how studying the river can help facilitate an understanding of Meridiani mineral precipitation and diagenesis, as well as astrobiological implications.
Update on the Human-Chimpanzee Divergence
Researchers from NAI's Pennsylvania State University Team and their colleagues at Arizona State University published the December 2005 issue of PNAS their research constraining the divergence of humans and chimpanzees. Using the largest data set yet and improved computational methods for the molecular clock calculations, the study narrows the gap from between 3 and 13 million years ago to between 5 and 7 million years ago.
Alternative Model for Diagenesis of Meridiani Bedrock
Tom McCollom of NAI's University of Colorado Team and his co-author Brian Hynek published the details of their alternative model in the December 2005 issue of Nature. The scenario does not require prolonged interaction with a standing body of surface water, and describes an environment less favorable to biological activity on Mars.
NAI University of Arizona Team hosts Winter School
Students from varied scientific disciplines and international locations converged on Tucson this past week to study astrobiology with the UA Team. They took advantage of Tucson’s dark skies and local telescope resources on Kitt Peak to study aspects of astrochemistry. "Our main goal is to give students from all disciplines the background they need to appreciate the astronomical constraints on the origin and prospects for life elsewhere in the universe," said Michael Meyer, UA assistant professor of astronomy and director of the Astrobiology Graduate Winter School.
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NAI Travel Scholarships Available for the International Conference on Alpine and Polar Microbiology
The NAI is pleased to sponsor travel scholarships for three young astrobiologists (senior graduate students or postdoctoral fellows with less than three years postdoctoral training) to attend the International Conference of Alpine and Polar Microbiology, to be held in Innsbruck, Austria, March 27 – 30, 2006. See the conference website for more details: (http://www.alpine-polar-microbiology2006.at).
Please send a CV and a letter, of no more than one page, explaining how participation in this conference will help your current research. Include a letter of support from your research advisor. Preference will be given to those submitting a poster or oral presentation. The deadline for receipt of this material is January 23, 2006.
The scholarships, not to exceed $1500, may be used for air transportation, registration, lodging and meals.
Please send application materials electronically or by mail to:
Melissa Kirven-Brooks
NASA Astrobiology Institute
MS240-1, NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA 94035
Mkirven-brooks@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Astrobiology Assistant Professor Position at UW
The Astrobiology Program (http://depts.washington.edu/astrobio) at the University of Washington invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin in September 2006. The Program has 20 graduate students from six different departments.
This faculty position will be placed in one of the following four departments: Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, Earth & Space Sciences. In exceptional circumstances, appointment as Associate Professor or Professor may be considered for candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to mentoring underrepresented students in the sciences.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a field relevant to Astrobiology by the date of appointment. We will consider strong candidates in any area bearing on Astrobiology, either providing new astrobiological expertise to our Program or strengthening areas of current research, which include: early solar system dynamics, habitability of planets, Martian surface features and atmospheric processes, extrasolar planets, comets and interplanetary dust particles, magnetospheres, mass extinctions, life and the early Earth, evolution of metabolic processes, microbial life under extreme conditions, and life detection techniques.
Duties for the new position will include undergraduate and graduate teaching, vigorous independent research, and service. A strong record of published research and a demonstrated commitment to interdisciplinary research and education are essential.
Applications must include curriculum vitae and list of publications, a statement of research and teaching experience and interests, and three letters of reference (sent directly to the search committee by the referees). Electronic application is strongly preferred and must be in PDF format and sent to (astrobio-search@ess.washington.edu), with subject line
"ASTROBIO-Application, (your name)." Hard-copy applications, including reference letters, may be sent to: Astrobiology Search Committee, c/o Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Box 351310, Seattle, WA 98195-1310.
Priority will be given to applications, including recommendations, received by 31 January 2006. The University of Washington is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
NASA Planetary Biology Internship Program (PBI)
The NASA Planetary Biology Internship Program (PBI) provides opportunities to explore scientific questions of global scale about planet Earth. Each year the PBI program sponsors nine or ten interns who undertake research at NASA Research Centers or NASA-sponsored laboratories and academic institutions. Students admitted to the Microbial Diversity course at the Marine Biological Laboratory may also be selected as interns.
For six to eight weeks, generally during the summer, graduate students and senior undergraduates admitted to graduate school are granted a one-time opportunity to travel outside their home institutions to participate in research related to NASA’s planetary biology objectives. Interns have participated in a wide variety of planetary biological studies including metal precipitating bacteria; microbial ecology of extreme environments; morphological, biochemical, and isotopic analyses of stromatolites and microbial mats; and molecular evolution.
Students interested in applying for the PBI Program should contact the Program Coordinator for more information. Deadline: March 1, 2006. The application form can be obtained at: (http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/other_programs/pbi.html)
Application packages must be mailed directly to the MBL Admissions Office.
Program Coordinator
Michael Dolan
Department of Geosciences
University of Massachusetts
Box 35810
Amherst, MA 01003-5810
(413) 545-3223 Phone
(413) 545-1200 Fax
E-mail: pbi@geo.umass.edu
Postdoctoral Position Available from the CNRS
The Exobiology group at the Centre for Molecular Biophysics (Centre de biophysique moléculaire), CNRS, in Orléans is looking for an organic chemist to work on:
Prebiotic chemistry of proteins
The research centers on the study of prebiotic catalytic petides, from the synthesis of their constituents in the interstellar medium to their conformation at the surfaces of minerals in the oceans of the early Earth.
Chemistry research topics* in the Exobiology group include:
1. The synthesis of asymmetric amino acids in conditions that imitate those of the interstellar medium (experiments using the synchrotron SOLEIL, at Saclay).
2. The stability of amino acids in space: exposition of amino acids on board automatic Russian satellites and the international space station; reconstruction of space conditions in a simulation chamber at the Centre de biophysique moléculaire.
3. The stability of amino acids during their entry into the terrestrial atmosphere; experiments with artificial meteorites and simulations of impacts in the laboratory (collaboration with NASA-Johnson Space Center).
4. The polymerisation of amino acids at the surfaces of minerals in water and the investigation of the catalytic properties of the amino acids and small, homochiral peptides.
5. The artificial fossilisation of synthetic peptides.
The position will be on the basis a 1 to 2 year CNRS postdoctoral fellowship, with the option of submitting an application to enter the CNRS in a permanent position.
We are looking for young scientists who have already had 1-2 postdoctoral positions and have a good publication list. Please send a CV to:
Dr. Frances Westall (Director of Research and Head of the Exobiology group) and Dr. André Brack (Emeritus Director of Research)
Groupe Exobiologie, Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Rue Charles Sadron,
45071 Orléans cedex 2, Tel: 02-38-25 79 12, Fax: 02-38-63 15 17
Email: westall@cnrs-orleans.fr
*Other research topics in the group include the habitable environment of the early Earth, the earliest traces of life on Earth, fossil bacteria, and the search for life on other planets (direct involvement with the European ExoMars mission).
AbGradCon 2006
The 3rd Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) will be held on the University Park Campus of the Pennsylvania State University from May 31st - June 3rd, 2006. The purpose of AbGradCon is to enhance communication amongst up and coming scientists in the field of astrobiology. Incoming graduate students will observe talks at a relatively introductory level, while exposing them to the diversity of topics relevant to Astrobiology. Advanced graduate students will gain experience in presenting their research to a multidisciplinary audience while building bridges towards future collaborations. This conference will also feature a forum for graduate students to discuss education, resources, and career opportunities in astrobiology. AbGradCon is a student-run conference whose target audience is graduate students and recently graduated postdocs interested in astrobiology research. Hotel costs will be covered for all students presenting research at the conference. More information please visit the conference's webpage, which can be found at the following address: (http://abgradcon.arc.nasa.gov).
If you have questions about the conference, please contact the organizing committee:
Shawn D. Goldman (sgoldman@geosc.psu.edu)
Vyllinniskii Cameron (cvyllinn@geosc.psu.edu)
Tony Riccardi (ariccard@geosc.psu.edu)
Fabia Battistuzzi (fxb142@psu.edu)
Conditions for the Emergence of Life on the Early Earth
A Royal Society scientific discussion meeting on 'Conditions for the Emergence of Life on the Early Earth' is taking place at the Royal Society in London on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 February 2006. This meeting is organized by Professor Charles Cockell, Dr Sydney Leach FRS and Professor Ian Smith FRS.
A synopsis follows: Understanding how life emerged on Earth within 1 Gyr of its formation is both a fascinating scientific problem and a pre-requisite in predicting the presence of life elsewhere in the Universe. Scientists from several disciplines will discuss the origin of the biotic raw materials, and the conditions and processes involved in the genesis and early evolution of primitive life forms.
There will be a poster session at this meeting. Those wishing to submit a poster for consideration should submit a title and abstract to discussion.meetings@royalsoc.ac.uk by Monday 30 January 2006. You will be informed shortly thereafter whether your poster has been accepted.
This meeting is FREE to attend and open to all, although pre-registration is essential. Further information on the meeting, including an on-line registration form, can be found at (http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/events)
Europa Focus Group Workshop
There has been great response to the announcement of the Europa Focus Group workshop, to be held 27-28 February 2006 near NASA Ames Research Center. A nominal registration fee will be collected on site at the meeting. If you plan to participate, please note the following:
1. Registration (due no later than 13 January 2006); in order to register, send the following information to Ron Greeley (greeley@asu.edu): your name (to appear on badge), affiliation, e-mail address, snail-mail address, phone and title of proposed presentation.
2. Abstract (send in an unformatted MS word document, maximum characters (with spaces) is 7,000): TITLE (all caps), Authors (presenter in all caps), Affiliation(s), skip a line, body of abstract, skip a line, references cited, Illustrations in black and white can be included, but the total length of the abstract cannot exceed two pages, all inclusive.
3. Student support Upper division undergraduates and graduate students may apply for travel support to the workshop. Send name, university, indicate grad or undergrad status, and half page statement of why you should attend to greeley@asu.edu; in addition, arrange for one professor to send a letter of recommendation directly to greeley@asu.edu. APPPLICATION FOR STUDENT SUPPORT IS DUE 13 JANUARY 2006
"Discover the Microbes Within!" Workshop
The NAI MBL team is gearing up to host the "Discover the Microbes Within!" workshop for the second time in March 2006. "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 Conference UK 2006
The second conference of the Astrobiology Society of Britain “Life Here, There and Everywhere” will take place at the University of Kent on April 18th to 21st, 2006. Full details are available on line at http://www.astrobiologysociety.org/
The conference will cover all aspects of research related to astrobiology, including (but not exclusively):
Astrobiology Technology - Mars - ExoMars - Panspermia - Microbial Colonies - Niche Environments - Extremophiles - Artic and Antarctic Studies - Meteorites - Geomicrobiology - Prebiotic Climates - Human Life in Space - Planetary Protection/Contamination - Development of Life-forms in Other Environments - Origin of Life - Habitable Zones (including terrestrial type extra solar planets)
Accordingly, papers are solicited on all these (and related) topics. You can submit abstracts from now until the deadline given below.
Deadlines:
Jan 30th 2006: Abstract submission deadline.
Feb 13th 2006: Speakers will be informed if abstracts have been accepted.
1st March 2006: Early registration deadline (to receive the early registration discount and have the best chance of the best en-suite rooms for your accommodation)
If you have any enqueries not covered by the web site please contact the local organizer: Dr. Mark Burchell (M.J.Burchell@kent.ac.uk).
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Astrobiology: Lessons from Planet Earth
Darlene Lim (NASA-Ames), Kurt Konhauser (University of Alberta) and Richard Leveille (Canadian Space Agency), would like to draw your attention to a special session entitled "Astrobiology: lessons from Planet Earth” http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/gacmac/SSdesc.htm#30 (SS-30) to be held at the GAC-MAC 2006 Annual Meeting in Montreal, May 14-17, 2006.
This session will build upon recent astrobiology-related activities in Canada, including Canadian Space Exploration Workshops, the establishment of a CSA Astrobiology Working Group, as well as the Origins Institute's Astrobiology Conference and Workshop, and the Earth System Processes 2 meeting held earlier this year. The session theme is also in line with the theme of the meeting (i.e., "Planet Earth in Montreal"), which acknowledges the "International Year of Planet Earth".
This session welcomes geobiological contributions from the broad field of astrobiology, including (but not limited to) contributions that deal with life in extreme environments (e.g. cold, dry, deep subsurface, etc), Mars/Europa analog environments, biosignatures, and in situ life-detection strategies.
Abstract submission is now open and the deadline for submitting an abstract is January 23rd, 2006. More details can be found at http://www.gacmac2006.ca
Teaching Introductory College-Level Astronomy and Astrobiology
Ed Prather and Tim Slater (University of Arizona) will be holding the Two-Day
Pre-conference Teaching Workshop June 3-4, 2006, at the Joint Meeting of the AAS and CASCA, Calgary, Alberta Canada.
Astrobiology and Astronomy provide a unique and interdisciplinary environment for teaching the excitement of scientific inquiry to college students. At the same time, high quality teaching presents an ardent challenge because students who most often elect to take interdisciplinary science courses are frequently apprehensive of science and mathematics courses in general. This two-day, interactive teaching excellence workshop will focus on the conceptual and pedagogical dilemmas faculty encounter when teaching and develop practical solutions for the troubling issues in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. After reviewing the latest cognitive research on how students learn topics in astronomy and astrobiology, participants will define and set measurable student learning goals and objectives for students in their interdisciplinary astronomy and astrobiology courses and learn to construct effective course syllabi. To improve instruction, participants will learn how to create productive learning environments by using interactive lectures, peer instruction, engaging demonstrations, collaborative groups, and tutorials. Participants will also learn how to write more effective multiple-choice tests and implement authentic assessment strategies including portfolio assessment, performance tasks, and concept maps. Graduate students are welcome to attend. Preregistration is requested, but not required online at: http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov
AIAA Space 2006 Conference
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is soliciting abstracts for their SPACE 2006 conference and exposition. The event will be held in San Jose, CA from 19-21 September, 2006, and is co-sponsored by Lockheed Martin, the US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, and NASA Ames Research Center. Please see: (www.aiaa.org/events/space) for more information.
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