NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)

Public Presentations/Symposium/Lecture Series/Conferences

The Ames Astrobiology Science Team has been invited as guest speakers and lecturers for professional and public symposia at Professional Society meetings, universities, museums, National Parks, public and private centers. The science team is involved with faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students as lecturers in college courses, student societies, academies, workshops, project development, mentoring and intern experiences. NAI Ames team scientists have presented all over the world and have collectively given over 1200 hours to present astrobiology research to the community. A sample of these diverse events and organizations include:

3-1-06 David Smith UC Santa Cruz 12345 Ocean Avenue Santa Cruz, CA 12345 College Professors 10 General Public 50 Students 100 9/17-9/20/2006 Max Bernstein, David Des Marias, Tori Hoehler, and David Morrison Pale Blue Dot III Chicago Adler Planetarium Scientists ~100, science reporters~50, students ~50 The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum and the NAI held the third Pale Blue Dot workshop to provide a venue for the development of ideas and methods that may be used for the detection of life beyond Earth. Bernstein, DesMarais, and Tori Hoehler gave science talks and took part in panel discussions about the presentation of science to the public. David Morrison gave a special public lecture. 7/ 14/06 David Des Marais-Lecture at Stanford Microbial Ecology Field Course, Hopkins Marine Station ?Baja Mats? Ecology of Marine Cynobacteria Microbial Mats. 8/25-27/06 David Des Marais hosted Mars Rover Science Team Meeting Public Event at Mars Exploration Center-NASA Ames Community 200 10/20/06 David Des Marais participated in AIAA Conference evening Public Event panel on Mars from the San Jose Tech Museum 1,000 in attendance 10/22/06 David Des Marais attended the Yellowstone National Park Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center, boardwalk talk to Yellowstone Park Foundation Board Member’s to unveil the Way Side Sign exhibit 12/07 David Des Marais American Geophysical Union Conference, Presenter for the Carl Sagan Lecture Series 1,000 Public in attendance 2/15/07 AAAS-Astrobiology presentation, Chaired talk ?A New World: Mars Habitability of Neighboring Worlds 6/3/07 David Des Marais presented to the Ecology Course at the Hopkins University Marine Station-30 students 7/07 Bioastronomy Conference-Puerto Rico participated on the panel discussing career opportunities for the Astrobiology Graduate Student Community-50 2000 Dr. Sandford gave 20 different talks on the Stardust mission and the collection and study of cometary organics during 2006.. Audiences ranged from as small as ~30 to as large as ~500. Total number is probably well over 7/31/06 Scott Sandford NASA-Ames Summer Student Seminar ~50 students Seminar on ?Meteorites and Meteorite Collection in Antarctica? 3/27/2007 Lou Allamandola 233rd American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting, Chicago, IL McCormick Convention Center Professional Society 50 to 100 attendees: faculty, educators, students, professional chemists Chemical Evolution in the Interstellar Medium: Feedstock of Solar Systems. Special Session of the Division of Chemical Education of the ACS aimed to teaching the evolutionary nature of chemistry. Target is college level educators and students. A book for this purpose is in-press. 9/19/2007 Lou Allamandola American Institute of Aeronautcs and Astronautics (AIAA) Meeting, San Jose Convention Center, CA Professional Society 30 attendees The Cosmic Heritage of Solar System Organic Matter. Presented to the attendees of the AIAA meeting, primarily professionals in the aerospace industry 8/10/2007 Lou Allamandola Chemistry Department, Oregon State University (OSU), Corvallis, OR Symposium in honor of Professor Joseph Nibler 150 attendees, including current OSU students and faculty, former students and faculty, public. Vibrational Spectroscopy after OSU: From C2- to Interstellar Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons presented at the special symposium in honor of Professor Joseph Nibler . 05/14/06 Andrew Mattioda Astrochemistry Laboratory, Space Science Division Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium Annual Meeting, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK ~15 representatives from various Oklahoma Regional Universities Provided a short lecture collaboration opportunities available for Education and Public Outreach programs between NASA Ames, the SETI Institute and the Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium (OSGC). The OSGC represents a statewide partnership of universities, a cooperative extension service, state government, city government, industry, and a major science museum working to enhance opportunities for Oklahomans to understand and participate in NASA’s mission directorates by supporting programs in science, mathematics, engineering, technology, education, geography, and other aeronautics and space related disciplines throughout the state. 09/12/06 Andrew Mattioda Astrochemistry Laboratory, Space Science Division Undergraduate Students 10 undergraduate students and 2 faculty from the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium Provided a lecture on the Astrobiology research being conducted as well as provided a laboratory tour to the undergraduate and faculty members of the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium. 03/12/07 Andrew Mattioda Astrochemistry Laboratory, Space Science Division Visiting International Dignitaries Representatives from the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, Italian Space Agency, the Italian National Institute of oceanography and Experimental Geophysics Provided a lecture on both current and proposed research being undertaken in the Astrochemistry Laboratory. 7-15-06 David Hollenbach Cambridge University College Professors ? 70 General Public -10 Students-Postdocs – 50 Invited Lecture on ?The Dispersal of Protoplanetary Disks and its Efffect on Planet Formation? 4-11-07 David Hollenbach Universisty of Florida College Professors ? 50 General Public ? 5 Students-Postdocs -80 Invited Lecture on ?Photoevaporation of Disks around Young Stars? 4-17-07 Sanford Davis — — Middle School->College Animation showing the evolution of our Solar System from a dusty disk to one with fully formed planets. The animation is aimed at students to give them an idea of how the planets formed from dust and gas based on current understanding of the process

9-30-06 Kelly Decker Carolyn Parr Nature Center at Westwood Hills, Napa, CA 94558 Non-profit General Public-10 Astrobiology & the Search for Habitable Planets
Explores extremophiles in their environment, techniques for identifying life and its biomarkers close-up and remotely on other planets.
6-9-07 through 6-18-07 Pieter T. Visscher Department of Marine Sciences,
University of Connecticut,
Groton, CT 06340 University (University of Puerto Rico visiting UConn Students 14 Geomicrobiology Short Course (Workshop)
7-5-06 Pieter T. Visscher Department of Marine Sciences,
University of Connecticut,
Groton, CT 06340 Community General Public 100 Microrganismen: Wie, wat waar en hoelang? Soroptimist/Rotarian Service Clubs-sponsored event, Emmen, The Netherlands (Lecture)
5-17-07 and 5-19-07 Pieter T. Visscher Department of Marine Sciences,
University of Connecticut, Groton, CT 06340 University (Menoufiya University, Egypt) Faculty, Students, ca. 60 Two lectures each on geomicrobiology/astrobiology
10-19-06 Pieter T. Visscher Department of Marine Sciences,
University of Connecticut,
Groton, CT 06340 University (Univ. Puerto Rico, Mayaguez) Faculty, students, ca. 150 Geomicrobiology: an interdisciplinary approach with broad implications, COHEMIS (Center for Hemispherical Cooperation in Research and Education in Engineering and Applied Science), University of Puerto Rico, October 19, Mayaguez, PR ? simultaneous webcast in 27 (Latin American) Countries

11-3-06 Pieter T. Visscher Department of Marine Sciences,
University of Connecticut,
Groton, CT 06340 University Marine Sciences, (Univ. of South Carolina) Faculty, students, ca. 45 Rocks, gases and extraterrestrial life. Lecture
11-17-06 Pieter T. Visscher Department of Marine Sciences,
University of Connecticut,
Groton, CT 06340 Research Institute (Institute for Ecological Studies, Millbrook, NY) Researchers, general public, ca. 60 Lecture, Survival of a Three-Billion Year Old Ecosystem: Ecological and Geochemical Aspects
4-23-07 Pieter T. Visscher Department of Marine Sciences,
University of Connecticut,
Groton, CT 06340 University (ETHZ, Switzerland) Students, 25 Lecture, The Role of Exopolymeric Secretions in Geomicrobiology
June 20006 Marilyn Vogel ORAU / NPP
NASA Ames Research Center NASA Explorer Schools Program High School Science Teachers – 20 Taught an Origins of Life seminar to high school science teachers enrolled in NASA?s Explorer School program.

11-5-06 Andrew Pohorille Wonderfest 2006 (The Bay Area Festival of Science) Non-profit Public ? 300 (including students and professors) Every 3 years there is a Wonderfest Festival of Science organized in the Bay Area. It consists of a series of one-on-one debates on issues of special interest to the public and a series of accompanying events. During the 2006 festival, Andrew Pohorille debated David Deamer from U.C. Santa Cruz on whether the origin of life was inevitable. The event took place in the Anderson Auditorium at U.C. Berkeley.
8-31-06 Alexander Bradley Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139 University Professors – 20
Professionals ?5
Students ? 10 Presentation at 2006 Goldschmidt Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
?Fractionation of carbon isotopes in Methanosarcina barkeri?
4-2-07 Alexander Bradley Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139 Universiyy Professors – 25
Professionals ? 25
Students ? 10 Invited presentation at the 2007 conference of American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Long Beach California. ?Organic Geochemistry in the Genetic Age?
7-15-07 Victoria Orphan Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Non profit organization 10/ 8/ 0 Moore Meeting, San Diego, CA. 1 hour talk relating to our nanoSIMS research on the Guerrero Negro microbial mats and the application of halogenated DNA probes.
5-25-07 Victoria Orphan American Society of Microbiology International Meeting 100+/?/ 100 ASM General Meeting, Toronto Canada. 30 minute invited presentation: molecular investigations of syntrophic associations.
5-3-07 Victoria Orphan Oregon State University University 20 /0/ 40 Igert Seminar, Oregon State and Portland State Universities. Invited hour seminar.
6- 06 Victoria Orphan NRC board on Earth and Science Resources Government 12/ 6/ 0 Round table discussion: where bio meets geo. 20 minute invited overview talk for the board on the current status and new directions in geobiological/ astrobiological research
6.06 Lynn Rothschild University of Southern Maine,
P?rtland, ME College Professors ? 5
teachers – 30 Lectured on life in extreme environments to tie in with teaching science in underserved areas of Maine as part of NSF-funded ScienceCorps program.
9.20.06 Lynn Rothschild AIAA, Space 2006 Society Educators – 24 Presentation of Yellowstone outreach project, Space 2006, San Jose
Fall 2006 Lynn Rothschild Roger Williams Museum, Providence, RI museum public Contributor of photos to Roger Williams Park Museum exhibit on Astrobiology
October 2006 Lynn Rothschild San Francisco State University, SF, CA University student Lectured to Astrobiology Class
6.06 Lynn Rothschild University of Southern Maine,
June 07-P?rtland, ME College Professors ? 5
teachers – 30 Lectured on life in extreme environments to tie in with teaching science in underserved areas of Maine as part of NSF-funded ScienceCorps program

Tori Hoehler:
?Energetic concepts for habitability and biosignatures?. University of Arizona LAPLACE Center (2007).
?A follow the energy approach for Mars exploration?. Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007).
?Energetic habitability: constraints on life in the subsurface?. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (2007).
?An energy balance concept of habitability?. Carnegie Institution of Washington (2007).
?Possible atmospheric microbial biosignatures?. Pale Blue Dot III Workshop, Chicago, IL (2006).
?Habitability and the deep biosphere?. Keynote Address. International Ocean Drilling Program ?Deep Ocean Biosphere? workshop, Vancouver, Canada (2006).

Jack Lissaur
“Terrestrial Planet Formation in Binary Star Systems” Ames NAI Team Meeting, Moffett Field, CA, August 8.
“Terrestrial Planet Formation in Circumbinary Disks” DPS/AAS Meeting, Pasadena, CA, October 13.
“What Exoplanets Tell Us About Planet Formation” Extrasolar Planets Workshop for Journalists, Boulder, CO, January 27.
“Exoplanets: Past, Present and Future” Stanford, CA, June