American Society for Gravitational & Space Biology

Congratulations to Dr. John Kiss, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Botany Department at Miami of Ohio, who has been appointed Dean of the Graduate School & Professor of Biology at the University of Mississippi (Oxford, MS) effective Sept. 1, 2012. His successful NASA/ESA plant space biology research will continue at his new institution.

Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) Releases AO for International Research Participation on ISS Kibo Module. Applications due June 29, 2012. See

http://asgsb2011.org/index.php/member-menu/funding-opportunities.html

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program is seeking proposals to continue promising studies for which it has supported the first phase, whether through the current NIAC program or the predecessor organization, the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts. Proposals must be based on Phase I studies and are due June 6, 2012. See http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={B3180A7B-F67C-A701-17F8-343FABB54615}&path=open

NASA, USAID, State Department, and Nike Solicit Game-Changing Waste Management Solutions for Earth and Space. Challenge is open until May 15 for selected innovators to present at "LAUNCH: Beyond Waste forum," July 20-22 at the JPL. Info at http://launch.org/forum/11/beyond-waste

NASA Calls for Student-Designed Deep Space Habitat Proposals--X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge is accepting applications for the 2013 challenge, inviting students to design, manufacture, assemble, and test systems for use on NASA's deep space habitat prototype. Proposals are due May 2, 2012: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/analogs/xhab_challenge.html. Sponsored by National Space Grant

CASIS To Release Life Sciences Research On Board the ISS U.S. National Lab Solicitation in June 2012. CASIS will post the opportunity on www.iss-casis.org

Spring 2012 Newsletter is available at http://asgsb2011.org/images/stories/pdf/ASGSB_Spring_2012_FINAL_C.pdf

Issue contains information about the 2012 Annual Meeting as well as a message from ASGSB Executive Director, Cindy Martin-Brennan, about Society expansion.

Congratulations to Dr. Marshall Porterfield who has been named as the division director for the NASA Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Techshot, Inc. has an opening for Senior Scientist. See http://asgsb2011.org/index.php/member-menu/employment-opportunities.html

Applications for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute's (NSBRI) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program are being accepted until 6/8/2012. The two-year fellowships are available in any U.S. laboratory carrying out space-related biomedical or biotechnological research. See www.nsbri.org/FUNDING-OPPORTUNITIES/Current-Announcements for more info.

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Welcome!

asgsb_image2 Welcome to the home page of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB). Founded in 1984, the society provides a forum to foster research, education and professional development in the multidisciplinary ﬁelds of gravitational and space biology. ASGSB brings together a diverse group of scientists and engineers to encourage an exchange of ideas bridging basic and applied biological research in space and gravitational sciences. The members represent academia, government, and industry interests bonded by a common issue - how living organisms respond to gravity.

What is Gravitational and Space Biology?

The effects of gravity on biology have been acknowledged since Galileo’s time, but it has only been since the 1970s that gravitational biologists could also explore an environment where the force of gravity can be removed. With the birth of the space age, the opportunity for experimentation over the full spectrum of gravity levels became a reality, and a new environment and research tool became available. Our goal is to explore the response of biology to novel environments, and to understand biological phenomena associated with changes in gravitational signals - especially those associated with spaceflight and analogs for extraterrestrial environments. We seek to expand the knowledge of the impact of these environments on biology, and to mentor the next generation of scientists and engineers. It is also important to remember that we are biological, and our pursuit of science in the spaceflight environment provides a unique perspective of the role of gravity in the regulation of our own systems, which has led to a fuller understanding of how our bodies work on earth. This includes key insights into osteoporosis, calcium signal transduction and muscle metabolism obtained through research in microgravity environments. This ﬁeld of research has given us a new way to look at the world and our place in it - using gravity (or lack of) as a research tool. Join us today to further this valuable endeavour.