| history |

The Princeton Astrobiology Club (P-ABC) was founded in March 2005 by four members of the Class of 2007: Jason Aramburu, Zach Berta, Michael Dreibelbis, and David Smith.   Since receiving official endorsement from the University, P-ABC has grown in size and function, promoting interest in astrobiology and space exploration at Princeton and beyond.  Now, over two hundred undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members alike participate in discussions, lecture events, field trips, and other space happenings on campus.

Accomplishments

  • March  29, 2005: Granted official student group recognition by Princeton University
  • April 1, 2005: First all-membership meeting in Peyton Hall auditorium
  • April 29, 2005: Acknowledged in Chris Chyba and Kevin Hand’s Astrobiology: The Study of the Living Universe in the Annual Review for Astronomy and Astrophysics 
  • November 1, 2005:  Announced in NASA Astrobiology Institute’s newsletter

Past Events

  • April 1, 2005:  Guest faculty speaker Michael Strauss  (Astrophysics) on the topic of general astrobiology studies
  • April 7, 2005:  Special lecturer Dr. Charles Elachi (NASA-JPL) for a campus-wide lunch & lecture event focusing on Mars and Titan
  • April13, 205:  Participated in astrophysics department astronomy open house
  • April 18, 2005:  Enjoyed dinner with astronaut Dr. Daniel Barry
  • April 23, 2005:  Co-sponsored lecture of Brian Bennie, X-prize winning pilot
  • April 25, 205:  2001: A Space Odyssey movie party at Terrace Club
  • April 29, 2005:  Guest post-doc speaker Marc Kuchner (Astrophysics) on the subject of extrasolar planets
  • May 5, 2005:  Trip to NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. for a Woodrow Wilson School Task Force presentation
  • September 24, 2005:  Star Party on top of Peyton Hall, over 300 participants
  • October 21, 2005:  Guest Speaker Tullis Onstott (Geosciences) on the topic of microbes on Mars
  • December 9, 2005: Guest Speaker Christopher Chyba (Astrophysics) on the topic of comets and the origin of life
  • February 14th: Dr. Gregory Olsen on the topic of his training and his 10-day, $20 million journey with the Russian Space Agency, and will include video footage from the flight
  • May 10, 2006: Manned Spaceflight Forum
  • March 2006: Field Trip to Goddard Space Center
  • October 12, 2006: Second PABC-Star Party
  • May 17, 2007: Third PABC-Star Party