The National Academy of Sciences has announced awards recognizing the extraordinary scientific achievements of individuals in a wide variety of fields. Among this year’s recipients are researchers who have participated in numerous projects supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program: Dianne K. Newman of the California Institute of Technology and James F. Kasting of Pennsylvania State University.

Dianne Newman will receive the 2016 NAS Award in Molecular Biology. In her career, Newman has provided compelling support for the idea that microorganisms play a major role in geological processes on Earth. Studying the interaction of microbes and geology is key to understanding the evolution of Earth, and is relevant to major global problems faced today, such as climate change and developing renewable energy. Newman has been recognized “for her discovery of microbial mechanisms underlying geologic processes, thereby launching the field of molecular geomicrobiology and transforming our understanding of how the Earth evolved.”

James Kasting will receive the 2016 NAS Award in Early Earth and Life Scientists – Stanley Miller Medal. With the development of numerical models, Kasting has provided fundamental insights into the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere through time and the impact of atmospheric evolution on our planet’s climate and habitability. He has been recognized for “his outstanding modelling studies of planetary atmospheres and habitability that constrain the environmental context for the origin of life.”

To read more about the 2016 NAS awards, visit: http://www.nasonline.org/programs/awards/2016-nas-awards.html