The Astrobiology Proposal Writing Retreat (PWR) is an independent training workshop that brings together early-career astrobiologists from diverse academic backgrounds for an intensive three-day collaborative proposal writing experience. The central objective for workshop participants is to create an original proposal on a topic relevant to the current state of astrobiology research, which must be presented to a body of peers. Participants are encouraged to use the workshop as a forum for exploring creative and original research topics. The workshop culminates in a peer-review panel discussion on each team's presented work, leading to a final anonymous vote on the best proposal.
The prior workshops produced several original research ideas. Highlights include: work leading to a successfully funded research grant through the NAI director's discretionary fund (Proposal Title: Perchlorate, Water and Life: the Geomicrobiology of Mars Analog Soils); and an internationally recognized space policy paper proposing a METI protocol for messaging extraterrestrial intelligence (Atri, DeMarines, and Haqq-Misra, 2011).
The 2017 Proposal Writing Retreat will take place at the Green Bank Observatory in Green Bank, WV, from June 2nd to June 5th of 2017.
Applicants for AbGradCon will be able to apply for PWR at the same time as they submit their AGC application. We have funds to support a limited number of participants (approximately 20), although we can accommodate more participants if they are able to provide some or all of their own funding. Watch the AbGradCon homepage and Facebook group for an announcement about the opening of the PWR application.
We accept applications from current graduate students and postdocs.