Computational Astrobiology Summer Symposium 2011 (CASS 2011)

The University of Hawaii NASA Astrobiology Institute (UHNAI) will host the invitation-only Computational Astrobiology Summer Symposium (CASS) from August 1-15 2011. This is an excellent opportunity for graduate students in computer science and related areas to expand their knowledge of astrobiology by applying their computational skills in substantial projects that solve the real-world challenges faced by astrobiology research scientists.

The two-week on-site part of the program will be an intensive survey of the field of astrobiology. NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) scientists will present their work, and the group will discuss ways in which computational tools (e.g. models, simulations, data processing applications, sensor networks, etc.) could advance astrobiology research. Also during this time, participants will define their projects, with the help of the participating NAI researchers. Suitable projects are significant team or individual programming efforts that result in useful tools for astrobiology research.

On returning to their home institutions, participants will begin work on their projects, under the supervision of a mentor, with appropriate input from the astrobiologist(s). The amount of time required to complete a project will vary, but the effort should be roughly equivalent to a one semester, three credit-hour course. Indeed, we anticipate that most participants will arrange to earn credit for their project at their home institution. When the projects are completed, participants are expected to submit a poster to an astrobiology-related conference (some travel support available).

Application deadline: April 15, 2011

For more information, see http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/CASS2011/

Source: NAI Newsletter