by Jimmy Dunn Co-President, UCLA AstroBiology Society, UCLA Astrophysics Undergraduate
Comprised of students from all disciplines who share a common interest in astrobiology, the UCLA AstroBiology Society (ABS) is beginning its seventh year as an active, innovative student organization on the UCLA campus. Founded in 1999 by two undergraduates, Laurel Methot and Jason Finley, ABS established itself on the campus and within the larger astrobiology community by engaging the interest of students and faculty alike through interactive discussions, informative lectures, and a variety of outreach activities. In the past six years, officers have attended NAI and other astrobiology meetings throughout the nation, and even presented at a few international conferences in countries such as Austria and Australia. Past ABS activities include stargazing camping trips with UCLA’s Undergraduate Astronomical Society, outreach visits to bring astrobiology to local schools, participation in the NAI’s Pathfinder program, and a “Life in the Universe” symposium that was attended by hundreds of UCLA students and featured Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and Dr. Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute and establishing a sister AstroBiology Society at Tennessee State University.
The typical UCLA ABS meeting features a guest speaker presenting an interesting facet of astrobiology in a non-technical way that encourages ABS members to explore the topics interactively. Many of our speakers are members of the UCLA Center for Astrobiology who discuss general aspects of the field while presenting their own current research. This formula has proven to be a great way of getting students interested in astrobiology.
Methot and Finley remain affiliated with ABS as advisors and have passed the torch of leadership along to a new body of enthusiastic students. This coming year, the society will continue to be active in exploring astrobiology topics and recruiting the interest of current and aspiring astrobiologists, as the meeting schedule already boasts an impressive speaker line-up. Future directions for the group include further outreach on campus and abroad, as well as the pioneering of an astrobiology student research program. With the continued support of our current advisors, Barbara Laval, Dr. J. William Schopf, and Dr. Edward Young, the UCLA AstroBiology Society will, in its seventh year, continue to engage students in our increasingly popular field.
UCLA AstroBiology Society website: http://www.studentgroups.ucla.edu/abs
