The John W. Kluge Center has opened the competition for the 2019 Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology

The Blumberg Chair is open to scholars and leading thinkers in the fields of philosophy, history, religion, literature, astrobiology, astronomy, planetary science, the history of science, paleontology, Earth and atmospheric sciences, geological sciences, ethics, or other related fields. Possibilities for research subjects are many. The following are meant to inspire, not to limit creativity: legal issues related to governance of planets and space; the ethical implications of cross-contamination; scientific and philosophical definitions of life; conceptions of the origins of life in theistic and non-theistic religions; comparison of the discussion of these issues in multiple nations and cultures. The Chair may also consider life’s collective future—for humans and other life, on Earth and beyond, examining the impacts on life and future evolutionary trajectories that may result from both natural events and human-directed activities. For more information on this chair, please click here.