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Professor Rios and the SJSU Astrobiology Research Group host the UC Davis EAOP program
July 25, 2024

Andro RiosOn July 25, twenty high school students from the UC Davis Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) visited SJSU and participated in a summer chemistry engagement activity with Professor Rios. Dr. Rios and a few of his students from the SJSU Astrobiology Research Group facilitated a hands-on activity to introduce and demonstrate the relevance of organic chemistry to everyday life. EAOP participants were also introduced to how organic chemistry as a discipline advances discoveries to the interdisciplinary field of science known as Astrobiology. The activity was previously developed by Professor Rios and allows participants to interact with and develop an appreciation of organic compounds from terrestrial and extraterrestrial sources in a safe and engaging manner.

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Professor Rios is awarded a NASA Grant to initiate an Astrobiology Scholars Program between SJSU, Skyline College and NASA Ames Research Center
Apr. 9, 2024

Andro Rios Rios was recently funded to serve as the Principal Investigator(PI) of a two-year Bridge SEED grant (totaling $331k) for a proposal entitled, “Astrobiology Scholars Program Immersive Research Experience (ASPIRE)” from NASA Research Announcement (NRA) NNH23ZDA001N (ROSES-2023), F.23 Bridge Program Seed Funding (BPSF). The SMD Bridge program’s goal is to develop sustainable partnerships among institutions historically under-resourced by NASA and NASA Centers or Facilities. The goal of ASPIRE led by PI Rios is to develop long-term collaborations between faculty and students from SJSU and Skyline College (a two-year institution in the San Mateo Community College District) with scientists at NASA Ames Research Center. ASPIRE will leverage the diverse expertise found within the Exobiology Branch at Ames to give Scholars an opportunity to conduct research that contributes to two pillars of Astrobiology: origins of life on Earth and the search for life elsewhere. As a full year immersive program, Scholars participate in academic year activities focused on mentoring in research and professional development that enhance their summer research activities. Under ASPIRE, all Scholars are supported by year-round stipends that match the calculated living wage rate for Silicon Valley.

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Ocean World Science Aboard the Ship 'Falkor Too' with Drs. Lauren Seyler & Armando Azua-Bustos
 

Our guests are Drs. Lauren Seyler & Armando Azua-Bustos, two astrobiologists who are coming to us live from the Falkor Too, an ocean research vessel currently traveling the coast of Chile in search of living fossils along the seafloor. This very special episode of Ask an Astrobiologist will dive into their incredible research, its connection to ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus, climate change science, and a live tour of the research ship itself, including the ROV hangar, mission control, lab spaces, and the bridge. If you're interested in ocean exploration, ocean worlds in our solar system, and what it's like living and working on a research vessel, then you do not want to miss this episode!

Aired June 4, 2024