Science Cafe : The Discovery of Fossil Life on Mars

The search for life on Mars has long been a source of curiosity and excitement for the public, a topic of fear, awe, and hype in popular culture, and a source of sensationalism in the media. For NASA, it has been a longstanding high priority for research and funding, as well. When a discovery of life on Mars is confirmed, what might it look like? What should be the strategy for confirming and communicating this news to other scientists, the media, and to the public? In this presentation, Dr. Svetlana Shkolyar will overview recent efforts among astrobiology researchers for reporting this monumental detection - if it occurs – in the most accurate, responsible, and meaningful way. She will discuss this through the lens of the search for fossil signs of life on Mars, weaving together results, challenges, and lessons learned in this endeavor over the last 50 years. Audiences will be left with a better understanding of what constitutes good scientific evidence in the search for life on Mars, what efforts are being undertaken to prepare for this detection and its announcement, and why the impact of such a detection will depend completely how it is communicated.

Dr. Svetlana Shkolyar is an astrobiologist and science communicator who thinks about the question, “Are We Alone” for a living. She holds degrees in physics, science journalism, space studies, and geological sciences and currently works at the University of Maryland College Park and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. She wears two hats as related to the Search-For-Life topic. Wearing her researcher hat, she works on life detection techniques for Mars missions using laser instruments. She also builds webtools to help life detection mission planning for engineers and scientists as a team member of the NASA Center for Life Detection. She has previously participated on two of NASA’s Mars rovers: Mars Science Laboratory (MSL / “Curiosity” Rover) and Perseverance Rover (Mars 2020).

Wearing her public engagement hat, Dr. Shkolyar uses the impactful narrative of “Are We Alone” and the many interdisciplinary topics it encompasses as a tool to improve STEM literacy. She develops and shares astrobiology educational resources with educators who do public engagement (at museums, in the classroom, etc.) in order to engage students and especially kids with STEM topics. She is also the lead of a group called the Astrobiology Science Communication Guild, which connects a network of astrobiology researchers as subject matter experts to educators and public programs.

When she’s not at work, she loves experimentation of a different kind: in her kitchen. Her two kids, ages 3 and 7, are thankfully fans of her culinary creations (most of the time).