It's here! The final program is now available and has been sent to the printers. You can access the program here. At this point, no further changes can be made to the printed version of the program. However, if you notice an egregious error (our apologies) please e-mail us at abgradcon2014@gmail.com and let us know and we'll include it with our list of last-minute updates once the conference starts.

Thanks to everyone that applied to AbGradCon 2014! At this point, we are no longer accepting late applications or registrations. If you didn't hear about AbGradCon until after this deadline, we encourage you to monitor this web address in late fall for updates on applying to AbGradCon 2015!

Preliminary schedules for the conference and RFG are now available. These do not include specific talks, which will be available at a later date, but are intended to help with travel logistics.

Preliminary Conference Schedule
Preliminary RFG Schedule

Attention budding astrobiologists! Are you an undergraduate conducting research in the field of astrobiology? Do you want to get valuable feedback on how to present your research from those who have gone before you? Do you want the chance to win a prize for your troubles? Then the Undergraduate Poster Competition at the 2014 Astrobiology Graduate Conference is for you.

We are now accepting electronic poster submissions on your original astrobiology research to be presented as a part of this year's AbGradCon. Submissions are due no later than July 14. Entries will be evaluated prior to the official conference by grad students and postdocs who will provide valuable feedback to participants. All entries will be posted online for public viewing. Posters from the finalists will be printed and displayed during the conference poster session to be judged by attendees. Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries. For further details, including eligibility and submission requirements, see the FAQs.

While we continue to consider post-deadline applications on a case-by-case basis, no further applications for Talks or Travel Funding will be considered after April 24th. Beyond that, we will continue to consider applications for posters or general attendance for applicants that can provide full funding for themselves.

Applicants who submitted an abstract pre-deadline should expect to hear about the status of their presentation and travel funding within the next 3-4 weeks.

While the official deadline for applications for AbGradCon '14 has passed, applications will continue to be accepted for the foreseeable future. These applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis in the order they are received. An official announcement will be made once late submissions will not longer be considered.

Congratulations to Yifei Wu (Tongji Univ.) and Lang Zhou (Univ. of Illinois), whose submission has been selected as this year's official conference logo! The authors have this to say about the inspiration for their design:

1. It shows the contour of the city Troy, NY, where the conference is to be held.

2. It resembles a constellation, with the background of galaxy, relating to astronomy and NASA.

3. It resembles molecular structure, or biomolecule, which relates to biology. Combining with Idea 2, it reminds people of Astrobiology.

4. Lines between dots indicate connection and communication among attendees, showing the spirit of the conference, and of the field of Astrobiology.

We're pleased to annouce that abstract submission is now open for AbGradCon 2014. Please click here, or follow the link above to complete the application.

The application deadline is 17:00 in the submitter's local time on Monday, March 31st. For more information, including funding considerations, please check out the Application FAQs.

It's time to get the party started with a logo competition for this year's AbGradCon. Logos should feature original content, and reflect the location (RPI, in Troy, NY) and the collaborative spirit of the field of Astrobiology (this is open to interpretation, so really, go nuts!). Keep in mind that logo submissions should be high resolution (at least 900 px wide, and be no more than 400 px tall when scaled to a width of 900 px). Submissions should be emailed to abgradcon2014@gmail.com, subject line: Logo Submission.

All submissions should be in by February 1, and feel free to post ideas or concepts to the Facebook Group!

Calling all Astrobiology grad students and post-docs! Planning for AbGradCon 2014 is well under way. AbGradCon is a conference organized by and for early career astrobiologists, without those pesky P.I.s and professors getting in the way.

This year, the conference will be held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York from July 27 - July 31.

For up-to-the minute information, please join us on Facebook via the link to the right. Connect with us on Facebook for your chance to design the AbGradCon '14 conference logo!

More information, including our anticipated funding availability and abstract submission instructions, will be coming in early 2014.