NASA Astrobiology

Written byAaron GronstalSourceAstrobiology

Laurie and Erika stand in front of a lab bench. The shelves above the bench are full of beakers and jars. Laurie has long, blond hair past her shoulders. Erika has red hair past her shoulders. Both women wear safety goggles and white lab coats.

NASA/JPL-CaltechImage credit: Astrobiologist Laurie Barge, left, and former intern Erika Flores, right, at the Origins and Habitability Lab at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California..

Dr. Laurie Barge (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)) has been honored in the annual Rosalind Franklin Society Awards in Science. This prestigious award was launched in partnership with Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and the Rosalind Franklin Society to “recognize outstanding published peer-reviewed research by women and underrepresented minorities in science in each of the publisher’s peer-reviewed journals.”

Barge was specifically recognized for her work on the publication, “Determining the “Biosignature Threshold” for Life Detection on Biotic, Abiotic, or Prebiotic Worlds,” published in the journal Astrobiology.

Barge co-leads the Origins and Habitability Laboratory at NASA JPL. This group studies the origins of life and the potential to detect life in planetary environments. Barge has been a principal investigator on numerous projects supported by elements of the NASA Astrobiology Program and is directly involved in current NASA space missions. Barge is an investigation scientist for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and a participating scientist on NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory.

Ask an Astrobiologist with Laurie Barge. Credit: NASA Astrobiology

Rosalind Franklin Society Awards Recognize Laurie Barge