"Hello, I just wanted to ask that why is Area 51 been hidden even though there is a lot of data regarding it?"
Welcome to the NAI Newsletter! The Newsletter is a compendium of announcements, events, updates, and news items related to the NAI and its research. If you have news items or suggestions you can send them to the editor, Marco Boldt at: Marco.Boldt@nasa.gov.
Newsletter for May 8, 2006
- NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Accepting Applications
- NAI's "NASA and the Navajo Nation" Project to Host Community Night Events
- Follow the Research of the Submarine Ring of Fire 2006
Europa Focus Group Presentations Now Available
The NAI sponsored workshop of the Europa Focus Group at NASA Ames Research Center, from February 27 - 28, 2006, involvied 115 participants. Presentations from this successful meeting are now available at: http://astrobiology.asu.edu/focus/europa/discuss/discuss.html
Klyuchevsky Volcano Expedition
The NAI is sponsoring an expedition to one of the Earth's most active volcanic regions. Jake Maule of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, will lead the expedition to the Klyuchevsky Volcano group in eastern Russia, from August to October of 2006. Developed under guidance of the Kamchatka Tiger Team, including representatives of the NAI, the Russian Astrobiology Center and the Australian Centre for Astrobiology, the expedition will obtain microbial mats, gas, water, mud, and rock samples from drill sites and vents in the hot springs and permafrost of the Kamchatkan peninsula. (POC: Jake Maule: j.maule@gl.ciw.edu)
Recently Published Research from the NAI
A History of Venom
Scientists on NAI's Pennsylvania State University Team published new findings recently in Nature demonstrating a single early origin of the venom system in snakes and lizards. Their molecular biology and toxinological analyses show that the snakes, iguanians and anguimorphs form a single clade, pointing toward the proposed common origin.
Astrobiology EPO, Undergrads, Grads, Postdocs
NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Accepting Applications
The NAI is very pleased to announce that it will be accepting applications for the August 1 cycle of the NAI Postdoctoral Program, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
The NAI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides opportunities for Ph.D., Sc.D., or M.D. scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability to perform research on problems largely of their own choosing, yet compatible with the research interests of NASA and the member teams of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
NAI Postdoctoral Fellows become full members of the NAI, and, as such, are included in the NAI database and on-line directory, invited to attend and submit abstracts for NAI General Meetings, given access to NAI collaborative tools, and are eligible for additional NAI funding opportunities. NAI Fellows have, therefore, a wide spectrum of opportunities for further collaboration with NAI researchers, as well as the broader scientific community. In this role, NAI Fellows act as 'Ambassadors' amongst the NAI Teams, and between the NAI and the broader scientific community, - helping to define and lead the new discipline of astrobiology.
For additional information about the program see http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc .
NAI's "NASA and the Navajo Nation" Project to Host Community Night Events
NASA comes to town for two evenings in May on the Navajo Nation. On May 17th in Fort Wingate, NM, and May 18th in Cameron, AZ, "Community Night" events will be hosted by NASA and Navajo collaborators. The purpose of the events is to field test educational materials newly developed by the NAI which weave together NASA astrobiology concepts and Navajo cultural teachings. Parents, children, and community members will gather in school gyms for storytelling, hands-on activities, and a film - all under the theme of "Our Star." For more information, please contact Daniella Scalice
Follow the Research of the Submarine Ring of Fire 2006
April 18 - May 13, 2006
Join NAI Postdoc, Julie Huber on the 2006 Submarine Ring of Fire expedition. This is the third in a series of explorations of the submarine volcanoes lying along the Mariana Arc, extending from south of the island of Guam northward more than 800 nautical miles (1450 km). Follow the path, download video and audio podcasts, and read the logs of scientists on the expedition at http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/06fire/
NASA Planetary Science Summer School- APPLICATIONS DUE MAY 15
Applications are due May 15, 2006, for NASA's 18th Annual Planetary Science Summer School, which will hold two sessions this summer, July 24-28 and July 31 -August 4, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Science and engineering post-doctoral and graduate students with a strong interest in careers in planetary exploration are encouraged to apply. Preference is given to U.S. citizens. The student teams will carry out the equivalent of an early concept study responsive to a selected NASA Announcement of Opportunity, prepare a proposal authorization review presentation, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. At the end of the week, students will have a clearer understanding of the relationships among mission design, cost, and
schedule, and the trade-offs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the opportunity to acquire high-quality science. They will also understand the lifecycle of a space mission. Partial financial support is available to a limited number of individuals to help defray the expense of travel and lodging only. Applications are to be submitted electronically by May 15, 2006 at
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ .
For further information, visit http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/pscischool/ or contact Ms. Anita M. Sohus, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, M/S 111-B29, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109; phone 818-354-6613; e-mail Anita.M.Sohus@jpl.nasa.gov.
19th UCL Astronomy Colloquium: "Astrobiology" July 10-13, 2006
The 19th UCL (University College London) Astronomy Colloquium: "Astrobiology" will be held at
Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park, from Monday 10 (noon) to Thursday
13 (morning) July 2006.
Selected topics include:
- Extrasolar planets
- Planet formation
- Planet atmospheres
- Astrochemistry
- Extremophiles
- Mars and Aurora
For more information: http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~cl2006/LOC2006/
