March 17, 2026, 5:30–6:30 p.m. CDT
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Montgomery Ballroom Foyer

Open to postdoctoral and early-career researchers, this event is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to hiring organizations and institutions.

March 15, 2026, 5:30–6:30 p.m. CDT
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, Montgomery Ballroom Foyer

Start your LPSC experience at the Student and Early-Career Mixer! Open to students and early-career researchers, this event is a great opportunity to expand your network, exchange ideas, and meet exhibitors and conference sponsors, and agency, mission, academic, project, and industry leaders — all while enjoying refreshments.

Wednesday, March 18; 12pm-1pm

Location: Indian Springs room

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers early-career and senior scientists unique research opportunities to advance their research while contributing to NASA’s scientific goals.  The NPP will host a Meet-and-Greet session for prospective applicants. Current and past NPP Fellows, and advisors are welcome to attend. Come learn more about this exciting fellowship program, receive application tips, get your questions answered, and interact with fellows from the program.

Location: Creekside Park meeting room at the conference center. 

Join us for announcements by the Steering Committee, open floor discussion, and networking opportunities. For questions, email: mapsitcommittee@gmail.com

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ncj-kycw-qoo
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 929-287-3985 PIN: ‪693 286 073#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/ncj-kycw-qoo?pin=6375388508945

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/hrs-kytb-ouw
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 518-531-6513 PIN: ‪590 911 266#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/hrs-kytb-ouw?pin=6880138091925

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine carried out a NASA-sponsored consensus study on the science astronauts will carry out on Mars. The report was released in Dec 2025. A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars identified high priority science objectives (in all relevant disciplines) to be addressed by human explorers across multiple science campaigns on the surface of Mars. This includes identifying and prioritizing science objectives from the relevant decadal survey reports and discipline roadmaps and NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives, determining types of samples to be collected and measurements to be taken, identifying science campaigns to address the objectives, and identifying preliminary criteria for the selection of appropriate landing sites. In this town hall we will present an overview of the study and hear questions and comments from the community.

Monday, March 16, 11:45 am – 12:45 pm  

Sterling Ridge Room 

Join our panelists to ask your questions about careers in planetary science and astrobiology. Learn about their career trajectories, the different types of careers in these fields, and hear our panelists’ suggestions on ways to prepare for each. 

Panelists: 

• William (Bill) Farrand, Space Science Institute 

• Prajkta Mane, Lunar and Planetary Institute 

• Katie Robinson, NASA Headquarters 

• Laura Rodriguez, Lunar and Planetary Institute 

Monday, March 16, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. 

Sterling Ridge Room 

Professional societies are the cornerstone of scientific communities.  Learn why it is important to join these societies, how your participation can enable you to build connections with colleagues and potential partners, how these organizations support the planetary community as a whole, and other benefits you may gain from them. 

Speakers: 

• Tom Burbine, Meteoritical Society 

• Scott Murchie, Division of Planetary Science 

(Optional) RSVP: https://forms.gle/i2V4QbaFLY9CLyk36 

Sterling Ridge Room

There are a variety of new opportunities for planetary and astrobiology researchers to explore careers in industry. Join our panelists to learn more about their career journeys to learn about the differences between a career in industry and other traditional paths, and their suggestions and next steps to pursue prospects in this profession!

Panelists:

·       Megan Henriksen, Intuitive Machines

·       Xu Wang, Space Dust Research & Technologies

Sterling Ridge Room

Many in the planetary and astrobiology communities work as faculty at academic institutions. Join us to hear the differences between working at research universities, liberal arts colleges, and regional institutions, and to hear about and share ideas and resources for teaching courses.

Panelists:

·       Amy Fagan, Western Carolina University

·       Bethany Ehlmann, LASP, University of Colorado Boulder

·       Tom Burbine, Mount Holyoke College

Sterling Ridge Room

Join us to hear about best practices in communicating your science to different audiences: from the general public to presentations at conferences or when applying to positions.

Sterling Ridge Room

Join our panelists to ask your questions about careers in planetary science and astrobiology. Learn about their career trajectories, the different types of careers in these fields, and hear our panelists’ suggestions on ways to prepare for each.

Panelists:

·       William (Bill) Farrand, Space Science Institute

·       Prajkta Mane, Lunar and Planetary Institute

·       Katie Robinson, NASA Headquarters

·       Laura Rodriguez, Lunar and Planetary Institute

The Woodlands Room

In this workshop, Mark Chen will present his work and his novel projection technique. Then he will show you what he has prepared for you and invite you to a spontaneous collaboration, in which you will conceptualize, select image, and compose. Images from your participation will be produced and shared on Instagram, and a high resolution version can be provided to you per request.

About Mark Chen: For his latest series Pilgrimage of Light  which explores the mysterious coexistence of the universe, Earth and people, Mark Chen travels to hard-to-reach wilderness to project galactic images, altering landscapes while he photographs them.

Sterling Ridge Room

People in academia, especially students, are far too busy doing their research to spend time thinking about personal finances or their own retirement, and moving to different countries to carry out that very research does not help.  In this workshop, we aim to provide basic financial education to handle budgets and debt, and investment strategies that can be carried out without financial advisors.  By the end of the workshop you should have enough information to start taking control of your finances,  or least know exactly where to look for information to make your money work for you.  We offer this as a service to the community, not as a strategy to sell any particular plan or service.

Speakers:

·       Dr. Paul Sanchez, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research – CCAR

·       Alex Kimura, Erika.com

Sterling Ridge Room

Meet the CEO and Co-founder of Space Dust Research & Technologies, Dr. Xu Wang, and learn more about job opportunities at SDRT and opportunities to partner in future efforts and research.

Sterling Ridge Room

These online, browser-based portals that allow you to visualize, explore, and analyze the surfaces of other worlds using real data returned from a growing fleet of spacecraft. Treks portals are being used for site selection and analysis by NASA and its international and commercial partners supporting upcoming missions. Brian Day will provide a tutorial on how to use these systems for your own research!

NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program is the essential connection to our human explorers, our science missions, and our partners. Its networks enable more than 100 missions to explore the unknown, innovate for the benefit of humanity, and inspire the world through discovery. 

The network of today must continue to evolve to meet future user needs. As NASA prepares to increase its cadence of missions under the Artemis program to achieve the national objective of returning American astronauts to the moon, it will require new communication and navigation capabilities.

On Wednesday, March 18 from 10-11 am CDT in the Panther Creek conference room, Dr. Ben Ashman, Deputy Program Manager for SCaN’s Mission and Stakeholder Engagement, will host a listening session on how the network can support future science missions and invites you to come share your science priorities for the next decade to inform network architecture development.

The workshop will focus on ongoing theoretical modeling of measurable outcomes from the April 2029 safe near-Earth passage of the asteroid Apophis, measurement implementation from approved missions, newly funded mission concepts, international coordination of space operations and Earth-based observations, and public education. An adjacent workshop dedicated to the European Space Agency RAMSES mission will be held at the same location on June 15–17, 2026.

The meeting is hosted by Goethe University and Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research, with support by Physikalischer Verein.

Come join us at the Goose's Acre Irish pub for the annual party hosted by the University of Arizona! There will be a DJ, dancing, drinks, and some glowing party favors while supplies last. It will be out of this world!

Louise Prockter, Planetary Science Division Director of NASA HQ, will be attending. This is an opportunity to ask her any and all Venus related questions that couldn’t be answered at the NASA night on Monday March 16. If you will be attending the Town Hall virtually, send your questions to VEXAG Deputy Chair Tracy Gregg (tgregg@buffalo.edu) by Monday March 16, and she will make sure that your question gets asked. You will also be able to ask questions using the chat option.  

The Southern Geobiology Symposium (SGS) aims to provide a supportive environment for scientists (especially early-career researchers) to share research and develop professional connections in geobiology and related fields. SGS seeks to address the lack of a regional geobiology/biogeochemistry symposium for states near and along the United States Gulf Coast. SGS 2026 is organized by an interdisciplinary, multi-institution graduate student committee. 

Fill out the interest form (https://forms.gle/FtgWWVYUUnwWsgPc9) and follow us on instagram @southerngeobio to stay up to date on symposium updates and events!

Registration and abstract submissions open on July 15th.

We’ll meet at 5:30 PM on Tuesday March 17th, after the sessions are over, in the “Creekside Park” room and walk over as a group for an informal dinner at a nearby location.

Email joinquips@gmail.com for more information and how to join our virtual forum!

Wednesday night, Indian Springs Room:

6-7ish

3/18 - 10:45am CT - In-person Meeting (The Woodlands Room)

3/18 - 3:00pm CT - Virtual Meeting (https://jhuapl.zoomgov.com/j/1602637070?pwd=b5UDJsKBo2cNzIDT9J7akzg6aijizY.1)

Grogan’s Mill Room

JMARS will host a showcase meeting! The room is on the ballroom level across from the elevators. We will have several short talks from users and developers. All are welcome to attend from beginners to advanced JMARS power-users.

In addition to the event, please visit us at the JMARS booth and help desk in the Exhibit Hall.

Wednesday, March 18th, 1:00 p.m. @ Indian Springs room.

The Goose’s Acre will be serving Blue Hawaiʻi cocktails as the signature drink, and we will be handing out free decorative pins. The first three pairs to find their “pin partner” with a matching pin win a prize!

Calling all dust enthusiasts, including simulant developers, technology developers, and researchers to a casual meetup. Look forward to seeing familiar and new faces!