AGU Astrobiology Submission Deadline – August 6, 2014
The deadline for abstract submissions is fast approaching for sessions at the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) 47th annual Fall Meeting in San Francisco. Below are some sessions that might be relevant to the astrobiology community and you can look here for the complete list of sessions accepting abstracts.
Make sure to submit your abstracts by August 6, 23:59 EDT!
Session 1492: Enceladus: A Habitable World
This special session will focus on topics relating to the origin and state of the moon’s geologically active south polar terrain (SPT). We also welcome studies addressing future spaceflight missions and the moon’s potential for biological activity.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session1492.html
Conveners: Christopher P McKay, NASA Ames Research Center, and Carolyn Porco, Space Science Institute
Session 2464: Icy World Eruptions and Their Analogues
The potential existence of large plumes of water emitted from Europa’s surface has exciting implications for assessing the habitability of this icy world. This session examines the mechanisms for plume formation and dispersal; geological signatures of eruptions; inorganic and organic composition of materials ejected from the surface and subsurface; and implications for habitability and life detection.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session2464.html
Conveners: Steve Vance, NASA JPL, and Cynthia B Phillips, SETI Institute
Session 2511: Increasing and Measuring the Impact of Education and Public Outreach
More than ever, young scientists coming up through the ranks have an ethos to improve the STEM knowledge and skills of today’s youth, and they are dedicating increasing amounts of their time and energy to education and outreach work. This session solicits abstracts that discuss practical tools for scientists and education public outreach professionals to use evaluation to increase and effectively measure impact.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session2511.html
Conveners: Hilarie B Davis, Technology for Learning, and Daniella Scalice, NASA Astrobiology Institute
Session 2526: Evolutions, Interactions and Origins of Outer Planet Satellites
This session explores current and past planetary processes that lead to unique present day conditions on outer planet satellites. The session will consist of invited and contributed talks that highlight geological and geophysical modeling and interpretation of both remote-sensed and in-situ data.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session2526.html
Conveners: Amanda R Hendrix, Planetary Science Institute Tucson, and Krishan K Khurana, University of California at Los Angeles
Session 2682: Rapid Environmental Change and the Fate of Planetary Habitability
Rapid environmental change can be used as a scientific bridge, relating astrobiology to earth, planetary, and space sciences in the study of how life may adapt through abrupt climate crises. Abstracts on the intertwined aspects of changing habitability, including the complex interactions among astronomical, geological, and climatic forces, on the Earth and beyond, are welcome.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session2682.html
Conveners: Franck Marchis and Cynthia B Phillips, SETI institute, and Nathalie A Cabrol, NASA Ames Research Center & SETI institute
Session 3102: Proof of Life: Cutting-Edge Tools for Metabolic Rate Measurements in Environmental Microbiology and Astrobiology
As the characterization of low-energy environments continually pushes the limits of microbiological possibility, the metabolic activity of microbial constituents – not their mere presence – has emerged as the driving question of biogeochemical investigation. This session will examine the latest advances in cultivation-independent methods for the detection of catabolic and/or anabolic activity, the determination of “maintenance” energy, and the quantification of metabolic rates, among other topics.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session3102.html
Conveners: Jeffrey Marlow and Shawn McGlynn, California Institute of Technology
Session 3262: Cross-cutting in situ earth and planetary science instruments
There are common observational needs for both earth science and planetary investigations. Interchange between the two communities does not always occur. In this session we will highlight systems, instruments, sensors or components that have been or could be used in both applications.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session3262.html
Conveners: Max Coleman and Andrew Aubrey, NASA JPL
Session 3387: Looking For Life: Formation, Preservation and Detection of Biosignatures in Terrestrial Analogue Environments
Interpreting in situ enigmatic features (body or trace fossils, isotopic or molecular signatures, chemical disequilibria, or conspicuous mineralization) as indicators of biological activity is a notoriously difficult task. Understanding and recognizing the biogeochemical process that result in biosignatures, both in the lab and in field-based studies of terrestrial analogues of potentially habitable environments beyond Earth, will provide valuable information for future life detection missions.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session3387.html
Conveners: Alexandra Pontefract and Haley Sapers, University of Western Ontario
Session 3438: Reconstructing Habitable Environments on Ancient Mars
Ongoing rover and satellite investigations of the martian surface have revealed diverse aqueous environments, but these environments most likely had highly variable implications for habitability and organic preservation potential. We invite abstracts using data from landed and/or satellite missions, and encourage abstracts that address possible ExoMars and Mars2020 landing sites.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session3438.html
Conveners: Briony Horgan, Purdue University, and Melissa Rice, Western Washington University
Session 3669: Iron cycling in extreme environments
Iron is a highly abundant redox-reactive element on Earth, and is known to support energy acquisition through oxidation and reduction by a diverse array of microorganisms. However studies of biogeochemical iron cycling in extreme environments are scarce, and the contribution of these environments to iron and related biogeochemical cycles remains poorly defined. This session will draw upon recent research in microbiology, geochemistry and related disciplines spanning laboratory, field and modeling approaches.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session3669.html
Conveners: Sophie Nixon, University of Edinburgh, Eric Roden, University of Wisconsin, Jemma L Wadham, University of Bristol, and Charles S Cockell, University of Edinburgh
Session 3709: Upstairs Downstairs: Consequences of Internal Evolution for the Habitability of Planetary Surfaces
The chemistry and physics of planetary interiors shapes and is shaped by conditions at their surfaces. The nature and extent of these interactions are not well understood. This session seeks to bring together geochemists, geophysicists, geobiologists, and others who are building knowledge about the complex relationships between the surface habitability and internal evolution of Earth and Earth-like worlds.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session3709.html
Conveners: Ariel D Anbar, Arizona State University, Christopher Ballentine, University of Oxford, Christy B. Till, Arizona State University, and David C Catling, University of Washington
Session 3732: Preparing for Mars sample return: Geobiological approaches to discovering the history of life on Mars
The incorporation of coring and caching capability on a proposed Mars 2020 rover would be a landmark step toward the return to Earth of samples from Mars. A primary goal of the analyses that will ensue will be the search for evidence of past life. The objective of this session is to create a venue where the best approaches for discovery can be presented and discussed. Contributions will be welcome from the broad range of geobiological techniques as applied throughout the geological record.
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm14/webprogrampreliminary/Session3732.html
Conveners: Michael Tuite and Kenneth Williford, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
