The 2024 Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) will be held in Providence, Rhode Island, from May 5-10.Aaron Gronstal/NASA Astrobiology
Every two years, the astrobiology science community gathers to share research, collaborate, and plan for the future at the Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon). The 2024 edition will be held from May 5-10 in Providence, Rhode Island. AbSciCon is organized by the science community and was first held in 2000 at the NASA Ames Research Center. This year, over a thousand attendees will come together to report on new discoveries in the field of astrobiology.
For details concerning the Rhode island Convention Center and accessibility resources, please visit: https://www.agu.org/abscicon/pages/attend/accessibility
Subsidized Childcare Available
Facilities for parents, including a lactation room and subsidized childcare, will be provided for attendees. To register for subsidized child care, visit: https://www.agu.org/abscicon/pages/attend/attendee-resources
Public Lectures at AbSciCon 2024
The conference will also feature a special public lecture for those not attending the full conference. The event will be held Thursday at 6:15 PM in Ballroom A at the Rhode Island Convention Center and brings together a group of scientists involved in the study of samples returned to Earth from the asteroid Bennu by NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission.
From left to right: Jason Dworkinn (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Rachel Funk (Johnson Space Center), Pierre Haenecour (University of Arizona), Hannah Kaplan (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).Image credit: AbSciCon 2024.
OSIRIS-REx Astrobiology from Asteroid Samples
Thursday, 09 May, 2024, 6:15 PM (ET), Ballroom A
Jason Dworkin, Senior Scientist, Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jason Dworkin works in the Solar System Exploration division NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as the senior scientist for astrobiology. He is the project scientist for the OSIRIS-REx mission and founded the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory at Goddard where he studies organic compounds from meteorites and sample return material, including OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2.
Rachel Funk, Astromaterials Curator, NASA Johnson Space Center
Rachel Funk works in Astromaterials Curation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She works as an astromaterials processor specializing in sample handling and manipulation of astromaterials. She currently works with the OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 collections. She is also the lab manager for both of those collections.
Pierre Haenecour, Assistant Professor, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona
Pierre Haenecour is an Assistant Professor in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. As a co-investigator on the OSIRIS-REx mission, he investigates the compositions, microstructure, and abundance of insoluble organic matter (IOM) and presolar grains in Bennu samples. He is also the OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Data Management Working Group Lead.
Hannah Kaplan, Research Space Scientist, Planetary Systems Lab, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Hannah Kaplan is a research space scientist in the Planetary Systems Laboratory at Goddard Space Flight Center. She uses infrared spectroscopy to understand the composition of planetary surfaces, asteroids, and meteorites, with the goal of determining the distribution of water and organics in our Solar System. She is a member of the OSIRIS-REx science team and the Lucy L’Ralph instrument science team.
Further information is available at: https://www.agu.org/abscicon/pages/schedule/2024-plenaries