NAI EC meeting 5/8/07
Members of the NAI Executive Council present:
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Director |
Pilcher |
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Deputy Director |
Goolish |
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Team |
PI |
Representative |
Notes |
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ARC |
DesMarais |
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CalTech |
Meadows |
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CIW |
Solomon |
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CUB |
Jakosky |
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GSFC |
Mumma |
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IPTAI |
Pratt |
T. Hazen |
Pratt on phone |
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MBL |
Sogin |
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MIT |
Summons |
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MON |
Peters |
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PSU |
Ohmoto |
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SI |
Mancinelli |
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UA |
Woolf |
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UCB |
Banfield |
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UCLA |
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K. Ziegler |
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UH |
Meech |
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UWisc |
Johnson |
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Affiliation/Institution |
Attendee |
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NAI International Partner |
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NAI Central |
Abe, Boldt, Dolci, Joiner, Kirven-Brooks, Morrison, Scalice |
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NASA HQ |
Rummel |
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NAI Team Members |
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EPO Rep |
DeVore |
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Other attendees |
L. Billings |
Carl Pilcher opened the meeting at 8:30 AM
Introductions were made followed by the welcome to the new CAN 4 PIs and teams. Rummel announced that HQ has provided support for NAI CAN 4 selections, to fund Exobiology ROSES from 2005, and for ASTEP 2004. An NRC review of NAI is intended to inform the content of CAN 5. The CAN is planned to be released in early 2008, AbSciCon is scheduled for April of 2008.
The proposals selected through the DDF are posted on the NAI website; together they demonstrate strategic impact to NASA, to its missions or to relevant research and development partnerships with other federal agencies. Each team needs to incorporate the additional DDF funds into the reduced budgets that were submitted in the fall of 2006. Results of the work should be reported through the NAI team of the DDF lead investigator.
A suggestion was reviewed from the last videocon to combine the Microbial Ecosystems and the Subsurface Life Focus groups. This would include both those who study the surface and the subsurface, remote sensing and Earth Sciences. A number of different names for this group were recommended with tentative agreement to call the group Microbial Ecosystems and the Environment (MicroEco). Jill Banfield and Mitch Sogin will lead the group.
Potential leads and contributors to the Lunar Focus Group were discussed. A telecon will be scheduled to discuss the content and chairs of the focus group.
The discussion continued on the relationship between MEPAG, the NAI Mars Focus Group and a role for NAI in study groups for the Astrobiology Field Laboratory.
A concern regarding narrowing the statement of intent for an Origin of Life Focus Group was raised, which could contain interest from mathematical modeling, biosignatures or geology. Each of the Focus groups should develop a charter, defining the content, focus and chairs and distribute the proposal to the EC.
The NAI has been selected to provide an integrated website for the NASA Astrobiology Program, including the Exobiology, ASTID, and ASTEP program elements.
Meech spoke about the meeting, scheduled for mid-July in Puerto Rico. 150 people have registered and they are expecting to have an evening of public outreach featuring Seth Shostak and Jill Tarter.
AbSciCon 2008
AbSciCon is scheduled for April 15 – 17 in Santa Clara, CA. Ariel Anbar is the chair of the Science Steering Committee, with vice chairs Pascale Ehrenfreund and Tori Hoehler.
Field Workshop on Biosignatures in Ancient Rocks
Ohmoto announced a workshop scheduled from Sept. 18 – 20, followed by a fieldtrip in southern Ontario, Canada.
Kirven-Brooks presented the many funding programs available to NAI members and members of the astrobiology community.
The meeting continued with lunch and an in camera session of the EC
The EC approves of the 70% budget reductions and the rerouting of funds to items of high priority. They are anxious to get the CAN 4 teams into the Institute. The EC is pleased that the NAI Central staff is working together harmoniously. They welcomed the information on the funding opportunities. The EC has concerns on Second Life and who will supervise the material presented. The Web plan is good and a much higher priority than developing a presence in Second Life. The EC requests that the Focus Groups be tasked with the development of papers that will be placed into the public record. The EC would like information from NAI Central to use in responding to the National Research Council NAI review committee.
Sogin was at an Outer Planets Assessment Group meeting last week in Boston. They are in a pre-phase A stage for a flagship mission in the early 2020s. Feedback by early 2006 is requested to refine the science objectives, to define the instruments and measurements to be developed, the spacecraft platforms, to develop the mission scenarios and determine costs.
Science Presentations by the CAN 4 teams
Vikki Meadows described the work of the Caltech group, entitled "The Virtual Planetary Laboratory: Exploring the Habitability and Biosignatures of Extrasolar Terrestrial Planets." Meadows was followed by Roger Summons, from MIT, whose team is focused on the Development and Maintenance of Complex Life. John Peters, from Montana State University, described the Astrobiology Biogeocatalysis Research Center, whose members focus on iron-sulfide compounds. Lastly, Clark Johnson spoke about the University of Wisconsin team who examine Organic and Mineralogical Signatures and Environments of Life on Earth and other Planetary Bodies.
Our hosts, the University of California, Berkeley team provided presentations by members of the team, including Mike Manga on the internal structure of Mars, Don DePaolo on the heterogeneity of Ca, S and O isotopic ratios, Bill Dietrich on seepage erosion on the surface of Mars and Jeff Marcy on recent findings regarding Exoplanets.
The next in-person EC meeting will be held at GSFC on October 2.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:30PM.