Rensselaer Astrophysics

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The New York Center for Astrobiology

• We are now a member of the NASA Astrobiology
  Institute!
• What is life?
• Where is it?
• How do we find it?
• Five year grant, approx. 1.5M/yr.
• Doug Whittet (PI and Center Director)
• Multidisciplinary team of co-investigators
• Astrophysics Whittet, Roberge, Ciolek (RPI)
• Planetary Science Delano (Albany), Gaffey (N.
  Dakota)
• Geophysics Watson (RPI), Baldwin (Syracuse),
  Swindle
• (U. Arizona)
• Chemistry Ferris and McGown (RPI)

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The Cosmic Pathway to Life (?)
Research proposed by our Astrobiology team
combines observational and computational
astrophysics, Earth and planetary sciences, and
prebiotic chemistry in a common quest to
understand the origins of life-bearing planets.
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Research Opportunities in Physics

• Graduate and undergrad RAs expected Jan. 1.
• Roberge and Ciolek (theoretical astrophysics)
• Studies of protoplanetary disks, star formation
• Multifluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)
• Computational and analytical methods
• CCNI and other platforms

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What Our Reviewers Said
Major Criterion Strengths This proposal
features a strong team of investigators with a
solid track record for performance and access to
cutting-edge instrumentation in areas
of observational astronomy, laboratory
investigations, and computational
power. Astrochemical studies build on a strong
foundation of ISO, Spitzer and ground-based
spectroscopic studies of cloud cores, aided by
theoretical modeling of evolving environments in
protoplanetary disks. Proposed studies with
instrumentation on the horizon, notably SOFIA and
ALMA, promise to reveal new and important
chemical detail. Sophisticated MHD modeling of
disk evolution includes accretion shocks and
possible internal shock environments that are
less widely considered. Computational
infrastructure and modeling expertise (Roberge
and Ciolek) are excellent. quoted from the
proposal review document.