Fall 2020 Newsletter

A Word from Our Director


Welcome to our Autumn 2020 Newsletter! In this edition, we highlight some of the exciting academic and research accomplishments from our current students, postdocs and faculty members as well as from our amazing alumni.  In our Program Updates section you can find information on new students and faculty in our program, what our recent grads are up to now, and applaud members of our community who have received honors and awards. Our Science Highlights section describes an  exciting discovery on cold-adapted microbes that could provide clues for detecting life on icy worlds in our Solar System. In Highlights from the Field, learn how micrometeorites can provide a window into Earth’s atmospheric composition billions of years ago.   We’ve also showcased some of the work of our graduates in the Alumni Updates section, as they lead key efforts to advance the field of astrobiology.

Thank you for your continued interest in and support of the UW Astrobiology Program. We wish you all the best in these difficult times, as we hope for better days ahead in 2021.  

Dr. Victoria Meadows

Program Updates


Please join us in congratulating our latest batch of graduates and wish them well as they move on to their next endeavors and please join us in welcoming our newest students and faculty members who have joined our program over the past year

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Science Highlights


Our UW Astrobiology Program members have made exciting scientific discoveries and published many research updates over the past year.  Prof Brook Nunn (Genome Sciences) and her colleagues recently published their work detailing how polar microbes can shed light on ways to detect potential life in icy bodies in our solar system!  You can learn more about that project as well as updates from the rest of our program members here.

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Alumni Updates


The UW Astrobiology Program has graduated over 50 alumni, who have exciting careers as faculty members, scientists, university researchers, industry specialists and, entrepreneurs. They’ve all been hard at work this past year and have shared some of their achievements, awards, and scientific publications with us here.

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Life in the Field


Despite the ongoing pandemic our, community members have been hard at work with their research, attending (virtual) conferences, and outreach activities! Check out the pictures below to see what everyone has been up to and how our members have been able to maintain a sense of community during these trying times!

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Support our Program


Did you know that even a small donation can have a big impact! One of UWAB’s goals, and biggest successes, has been in building a close-knit, collaborative, community of interdisciplinary scientists, while providing unique, horizon-expanding education and scientific activities for our students.  Donor funding helps us accomplish this goal by expanding student access to workshops, field work, and conferences, and also by providing refreshments for social and networking events.

Use the secure, online portal to support UWAB today.