Astrobiology: Life in the Universe

NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)


  1. January 15, 2010 Executive Council Agenda

    10:00-10:45 Discussion of the following topics

    * Revision of MEPAG Goal 1 [Determine if life ever arose on Mars] (Dave Des Marais)
    * Astrobiology Education Training [AbET] (Vikki Meadows)
    * Interstellar/Interplanetary Sources of Prebiotics [IISP] workshop (George Cody)
    * AbSciCon 2010: NAI sessions, NAI meetings that will be held in conjunction with AbSciCon (Focus Group meetings, EC meeting, E/PO meeting), student travel, student poster competition (Wendy Dolci)
    * February 9-10 in-person EC meeting
    - Local host announcements (Vikki Meadows)--logistics, dinner on Feb 9, other

    Potential agenda items for February:
    - E/PO overview
    - Undergraduate Education Training (AbET)
    - Graduate student/teaching assistant funding issues
    - NAI budget
    - Astrobiology prizes: how to establish prizes in Astrobiology
    and how to encourage competitive nominations
    - The Astrobiology Primer: update on activity (Sean Domagal-Goldman)
    - New astrobiology mission concept: Life Investigation For Enceladus
    “LIFE” (Isik Kanik)
    - Focus Groups, new and evolving
    - International Partnerships
    - NAI Science Initiatives
    - VPL @ UW science talks

    * Announcements
    - Lewis and Clark: Application deadline February 1
    - Other? NASA Academy Deadline January 18th
    - MBL Microbial Diversity Summer Course: Application deadline February 1
    - New French Society of Exobiology

    10:45-11:30 Round-table announcements from each team, on the following: a) new research publications, b) upcoming field expeditions, c) new members, d) mission related activities (workshops/planning groups), e) E/PO events and f) any other information you wish to impart to the EC.
Minutes and Agendas