2023 AWG Symposium
What is the AWG Symposium?
To explore deeper into space, it is crucial that we learn how our bodies change and adapt to the unique environment of space. The Open Science Data Repository (a combination of GeneLab and Ames Life Sciences Data Archive - ALSDA - datasets) helps scientists understand how the fundamental building blocks of life itself change from exposure to microgravity, radiation, and other aspects of the space environment. The purpose of the Open Science Analysis Working Groups (AWGs) is to optimize the processing of raw omics data from the Open Science Data Repository to maximize the gain of new knowledge from such complex datasets. The AWG's are comprised of scientists with diverse backgrounds and is subdivided into six main areas of expertise (Plant, Animal, Microbes, Multi-omics, ALSDA, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning - AI/ML). The AWG members focus on establishing consensus pipelines, discuss processed data and analyze GeneLab data that enables new discoveries.
Occurring on March 16, 2023 from 10 am - 2:30 pm PT, this free virtual event is open to the public and will allow attendees an opportunity to hear about some of the exciting open science stemming from the AWG community. The symposium will feature a keynote address from Eliah Overbey at Weill Cornell Medicine, and scientific presentations from AWG members that have expertise in data science, plant biology, systems biology, microbiology, and space medicine. If you are intrigued by the science occurring in the AWGs, then we would love for you to join! Learn more about how to join the AWGs during the event.
Meeting Agenda Details
10:05 AM - 10:15 AM PT: Opening Remarks—Lauren Sanders, PhD (NASA Ames Research Center)
10:15 AM - 10:20 AM PT: TOPS Remarks—Sylvain Costes, PhD (NASA Ames Research Center)
10:20 AM - 11:00 AM PT: Keynote Address — “Astronaut genomics in the age of commercial spaceflight” — Eliah Overbey, PhD (Weill Cornell Medicine)
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PT: AWG Science Talks
- 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM: “Insulin and estrogen signaling during spaceflight” — Begum Mathyk, MD (HCA Florida Brandon Hospital)
- 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM: “Identification of key genes and their altered pathways in sarcopenia as potential biomarkers of muscle loss in astronauts” — Andres Caicedo, PhD (Universidad San Francisco de Quito)
- 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM: “A hyperspectral imaging pipeline for controlled environment agriculture” — Stephen Lantin (University of Florida)
- 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM: “Detection of time-resolved molecular changes in astronauts during long duration spaceflight” — George Mias, PhD (Michigan State University)
- 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM: “'R' research in space: SERCA and GSK3” — Val Fajardo, PhD (Brock University)
- 12:15 PM - 12:30 PM: “Nanopore sequencing for characterizing the microbial communities in regolith simulant-based soil-like substrates” — Laura Fackrell, PhD (NASA Jet Propulsion Lab)
12:30 PM - 12:50 PM PT: Break
12:50 PM - 1:30 PM PT: AWG Lightning Science Talks
- 12:50 PM - 12:55 PM: “Putative frailty biomarkers are altered in spaceflight” — Andrea Camera, MD (University of Oslo)
- 12:55 PM - 1:00 PM: “Elucidating dermatological changes in spaceflight with explainable AI” — Jonas Elsborg, MS (Abzu AI)
- 1:00 PM - 1:05 PM: “Delineating Arabidopsis thaliana proteomic response to the spaceflight environment in the NASA BRIC hardware” — Gbolaga Olanrewaju, MS (Ohio University)
- 1:05 PM - 1:10 PM: “Personalized medicine for Martians” — Aidan Lewis (Colorado State University)
- 1:10 PM - 1:15 PM: “Citizen science approach for searching and curating literature on the effects of spaceflight on cardiovascular outcomes in rodents and humans” — Mattias Neset (McGill University)
- 1:15 PM - 1:20 PM: “Monitoring of ultra-low biomass of JPL Spacecraft Assembly Facility surfaces using novel surface sampling and Nanopore sequencing” — Anna Simpson, PhD (NASA Jet Propulsion Lab)
- 1:30 PM - 1:40 PM: Animal AWG Updates — Nathaniel Szewczyk, PhD (Ohio University)
- 1:40 PM - 1:50 PM: Microbes AWG Updates — Daniela Bezdan, PhD (University of Tubingen)
- 1:50 PM - 2:00 PM: Multi-Omics AWG Updates — Nathaniel Szewczyk, PhD (Ohio University)
- 2:00 PM - 2:10 PM: Plant AWG Updates — Christina Johnson, PhD (NASA Ames Research Center)
- 2:10 PM - 2:20 PM: Ames Life Sciences Data Archive — Ryan Scott, MS (NASA Ames Research Center)
- 2:20 PM - 2:30 PM: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning AWG Update — Lauren Sanders, PhD (NASA Ames Research Center)
