Compelling terrestrial evidence records active and ancient serpentinization, the process that occurs when ultramafic rocks come into contact with water. This process may have been active on the surface and subsurface of Mars, beneath the surface of icy satellites such as Enceladus and Europa, and beyond. On Earth, these geochemical interactions support distinct microbial ecosystems.

The purpose of this workshop is to highlight recent advances in understanding how Serpentinizing Systems function chemically and biologically within our Solar System.

Each day of this 3-day workshop will begin with an overview by a Theme Lead, followed by several invited talks (list below) and group discussion. Participants will be encouraged to contribute short, pop-up talks, and the workshop is open to all interested parties.

A short white-paper on emerging frontiers in Serpentinizing Systems Science will be crafted from the workshop content.

If you would like to contribute a short presentation (a “pop-up talk”), please contact workshop organizers Jen Blank (Jennifer.blank@nasa.gov) or Tori Hoehler (Tori.M.Hoehler@nasa.gov). Visit the website for more information about pop-up talks.

Click here for the official website.

The daily themes and speaker list include:
Day 1 (Jan 31): Serpentinization on Earth, led by Billy Brazelton (University of Utah)
Susan Lang (University of South Carolina)
Beth Orcutt (Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences)
Matt Schrenk (Michigan State University)
Everett Shock (Arizona State University)

Day 2 (Feb 1): Experiment & Theory, led by Tom McCollom (University of Colorado)
Frieder Klein (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)
Lisa Mayhew (University of Colorado)
Mike Russell (Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech)
Sanjoy Som (NASA Ames Research Center/Blue Marble Space Institute of Science)

Day 3 (Feb 2): Planetary Systems, led by Steve Vance (Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech)
Elena Amador (California Institute of Technology)
Christophe Glein (Southwest Research Institute)
Marc Neveu (Arizona State University)
Christophe Sotin (Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech)


How to Participate in this Virtual Workshop

Option 1: To join using a telephone and web browser:

To join the teleconference, dial 1-844-467-6272 | Passcode: 886518#

Please mute your computer’s speakers to prevent feedback, all audio should be heard via teleconference.

To view the slides, connect to http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/www-sss/ and enter as a guest.

Option 2: To join using a web browser:
The slides and audio/video for this meeting will be presented using Adobe Connect. To join the meeting, connect to: http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/www-sss and enter as a guest.
If you are having problems connecting, you can try joining http://connect.arc.nasa.gov/www-sss/?launcher=false, rebooting your computer, or try joining from another network.

If you have technical problems during the workshop, please contact Sam Doshier, sam.doshier@nasa.gov, 650-604-0575