Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre to be launched with symposium on September 2nd
After 5 successful years of the Astrobiology Graduate School at Stockholm University it was decided to create a Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre comprising researchers and students from the departments of Astronomy, Physics, Geology and Geochemisty and Molecular biology and Functional Genomics. Funding from the Faculty of Sciences at Stockholm University has been secured for 5 Graduate Students and 4 post-docs during the next 4 years. This interdisciplinary and virtual Centre will be carrying on the activities of the Graduate School on a broader and larger scale. The tasks of SU-ABC are:
- to perform interdisciplinary research in astrobiology at Stockholm University.
- to identify and plan new cross-disciplinary research projects in the area.
- to train the next generation of astrobiologists.
- to disseminate knowledge of astronomy in the society.
- to cooperate with leading astrobiology institutions.
The Centre will be opened with a one-day symposium on September 2nd at De Geer Lecture Hall, Earth Sciences Centre, Stockholm University with lectures of leading international and Swedish scientists. The talks will deal with the following fundamental questions:
- Can the molecular building blocks of life be formed in space and what can we learn from lab experiments about that possibility?
- How did the assembly of molecules to cells happen?
- How were habitable planets formed and how can we find them in other stellar systems?
- How were Earth’s oceans formed?
- Were the first living organisms created on the seafloor?
- How did the changes in Earth’s climate influence life?
The programme of the symposium can be downloaded here as .doc and .pdf file. Practical information about the event can be found here as .doc and .pdf file.
The symposium is open for all interested participants. A registration is not necessary.