Please join us in welcoming four new fellows to the NASA Astrobiology Minority Institution Research Support (MIRS) Program!

The goal of the NAIMIRS Program is to help train a new generation of researchers in astrobiology and to increase diversity within the astrobiology community. Over the past ten years, the program has provided opportunities for faculty members and students from minority-serving institutions to partner with astrobiology investigators.

One of the program’s main objectives is to engage more faculty from under-represented schools in astrobiology research and increase the number of students pursuing careers in astrobiology.

The four newest MIRS partnerships are listed below. Please contact Melissa Kirven-Brooks, melissa.kirven@nasa.gov for more information.

Dr. Peter Abanda, Mid-South Community College
Host – Lee Bebout, NASA Ames Research Center
“Roles of Microbes in Metal Binding and Uptake in Complex Microbial Systems“

Dr. Marcus Alfred, Howard University
Host – Paul Butler, Carnegie Institution of Washington
“Searching for Terrestrial Worlds Around Nearby Stars“

Dr. Jean-Marie Dimandja, Spelman College
Host – George Cooper, NASA Ames Research Center
“Development of a Multi-Dimentional Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of Extractable Organics in Meteorites“

Dr. James Wachira, Morgan State University
Host – George Fox, University of Houston
“Modeling the Tertiary Structure of the Ribosomal Peptidyl Transferase Center“