Editors’ note from Keith Cowing, Astrobiology.com:
I’m happy to have Astrobiology.com serve as one of the sponsors of AbGradCon 2026. I have been involved with NASA Astrobiology since the very first organizational meetings at NASA Ames in 1996 and 1997. When websites were still a new thing I hosted the first two Astrobiology Science Conference websites. Back in the early days we envisioned that one day there’d be a large multi-disciplinary global Astrobiology community. Well, flash forward 30 years – and here you are – the beginnings of yet another generation of Astrobiologists!
Here are some of the highlights of AbGradCon.
Monday evening Keynote speaker: Dante Lauretta of University of Arizona, and PI of OREx
Thursday’s Keynote speaker: Matthew Powner, University College London
Careers Trajectory Panel: Kat Craft, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL); Marc Neveu, NASA Goddard; Aaron Goldman, Oberlin College: Solange Duhamel, University of Arizona, and Ellen Czaplinski, Blue Origin Honeybee Robotics
NASA-DARES Panel on Early Career Insights: Christina Richey, SETI Institute; Dani Buchheister, Penn State; Sophia Economon, Johns Hopkins University; Catherine Fontana University of Colorado-Boulder; and Carolynn Harris, Arizona State University
Proposal Writing Retreat: There is also going to be a PWR – Proposal Writing Retreat – which will take place Friday, September 11th through Monday morning, September 14th at the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory located in Summerhaven, AZ. Speakers : Jason Barnes, University of Idaho; Laurie Barge, NASA JPL; Alfred Edward Nash,NASA JPL; and Rachel Harris, NASA HQ
Social media: Holly Rose Rucker @hollyr_rucker hrucker at wisc.edu is in charge of AbGradCon publicity and social media. She is the go-to person for all of these things.
Editor’s note:
The prime reason for being at AdGradCon is to focus on – AbGradCon. But, as you know, sharing what you have learned, your enthusiasm for the topic, and your interest in helping advance the discipline of Astrobiology are also important. As you post things (and you should) on social media using some basic hashtages will help interested parties see what is happening and also will help people like me to find and then re-broadcast things to much wider audience.
As such, IMHO if you put #AbGradCon #Astrobiology tags on your pictures and posts you’ll be using terms most likely to get people’s attention. Other tags (in addition) can help further refine your reach – but using #AbGradCon #Astrobiology makes it easy for your postings to reach the widest possible audience (and help me find your stuff).
Follow-up: I will be more than happy to post or link to anything you wish to write after the event – observations, contact information, positions sought – whatever. You can reach me at kcowing -at- astrobiology.com
Life Looks For Life
Vita quaerit vitae
Keith Cowing
Astrobiology.com
