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Samantha Rolfe

Lecturer in Astrobiology and Principal Technical Officer at Bayfordbury Observatory, University of Hertfordshire
I am a Principle Technical Officer and Lecturer in Astrobiology at the University of Hertfordshire. During the months of October to March I am often teaching our undergraduate students practical astronomy when they come to the University of Hertfordshire Observatory at Bayfordbury. They learn how to use the telescopes to observe and study various objects including asteroids, exoplanets, galaxies star clusters and planetary nebulae. My lecture series in Astrobiology consists of teaching how physics and astrophysics can be applied to the search for life in our Solar System and beyond.

At Bayfordbury Observatory, I am constructing a teaching radio interferometer, comprising of three 3m dishes on a 115m baseline to provide a stepping stone between the theory of radio astronomy and the multi-million pound world class facilities that our students may end up working on if they choose a career in radio astronomy.

I studied for an MPhys in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Leicester followed by a Planetary Science and Astrobiology PhD at the Open University. My PhD involved studying biological molecules with a Raman spectrometer that had been exposed to laboratory simulations of the martian surface environment. I have applied this experience to a project at the University of Hertfordshire where I am researching the detectability of bioaerosols (particles in the atmosphere of biological origin, such as pollens, bacteria, etc.) with the LIDAR remote sensing station (LiSsI), which has an agriculture application such as crop protection.

I regularly do outreach and public engagement too, including writing articles, giving public talks and media interviews, and taking the University of Hertfordshire’s mobile planetaria to schools to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Could invisible aliens really exist among us? An astrobiologist explains

Jan 14, 2020 00:46 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

Life is pretty easy to recognise. It moves, it grows, it eats, it excretes, it reproduces. Simple. In biology, researchers often use the acronym MRSGREN to describe it. It stands for movement, respiration, sensitivity,...

Economy

Vitol to Ship First U.S. Naphtha Cargo to Venezuela Under New Oil Supply Deal

Commodities trading giant Vitol is preparing to load the first shipment of U.S. naphtha bound for Venezuela this weekend, marking a significant step in efforts to revive the countrys oil industry. According to sources...

U.S. Signals Potential Venezuela Sanctions Relief to Boost Oil Sales and IMF Re-Engagement

The United States may lift additional sanctions on Venezuela as early as next week to facilitate oil sales and economic stabilization, according to comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in an interview with...

Russia Stock Market Ends Flat as Commodities Rise and Ruble Strengthens

Russian stocks closed flat on Saturday, reflecting a quiet session on the Moscow Exchange as market activity remained muted across key sectors. At the close in Moscow, the MOEX Russia Index finished unchanged at 0.00%,...

Trump Administration Targets Mortgage-Backed Securities to Ease Housing Affordability Crunch

The Trump administration has launched a new effort to support the U.S. housing market by stepping into mortgage-backed securities (MBS) purchases, aiming to counterbalance the Federal Reserves ongoing reduction of such...

G7 Finance Ministers to Meet in Washington on Critical Minerals Supply Chains

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced that Australia and several other countries will participate in a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies in Washington on Monday,...

Politics

Myanmar Military-Run Election Draws Criticism as Voters Head to Polls Amid Ongoing Conflict

Voters in conflict-ravaged Myanmar queued on Sunday to cast ballots in the second phase of a military-organized election, an exercise widely criticized by the international community as an attempt to legitimize junta rule...

U.S. Military Launches Multiple Airstrikes in Syria Targeting Islamic State

The United States military confirmed on Saturday that it carried out multiple airstrikes across Syria targeting the Islamic State (ISIS), as part of an ongoing operation launched in December following a deadly attack on...

Bangladesh Signals Willingness to Join International Stabilization Force in Gaza

Bangladesh has formally expressed its interest in joining a proposed international stabilization force that may be deployed in Gaza, signaling a potential new role in global peacekeeping efforts related to the ongoing...

Nicaragua Frees Political Prisoners Amid Growing U.S. Pressure on Latin American Governments

Nicaraguas government announced the release of dozens of inmates from its national penitentiary system, a move that came just one day after the United States publicly demanded the freedom of more than 60 political...

Norwegian Nobel Institute Clarifies Nobel Peace Prize Rules After Trump Remarks

The Norwegian Nobel Institute has firmly stated that the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked, responding to recent remarks by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado suggesting she...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Elon Musk Says X Will Open-Source Its Algorithm Amid EU Scrutiny

Elon Musk announced on Saturday that X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will publicly release its recommendation algorithm, including the full code behind organic content and advertising post...

China’s AI Sector Pushes to Close U.S. Tech Gap Amid Chipmaking Challenges

China is accelerating efforts to narrow its technological gap with the United States, driven by increased risk-taking, innovation, and strong policy support for artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Leading Chinese...

Supreme Court to Hear Cisco Appeal on Alien Tort Statute and Human Rights Liability

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by Cisco Systems that could significantly reshape how American companies are held liable for alleged human rights abuses committed overseas. The case centers on the scope...

FCC Approves Expansion of SpaceX Starlink Network With 7,500 New Satellites

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved SpaceXs request to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, marking a major step forward in the companys mission to expand global...

xAI Cash Burn Highlights the High Cost of Competing in Generative AI

Elon Musks artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is rapidly emerging as a major player in the generative AI race, but new reports highlight the enormous financial costs behind that ambition. According to Bloomberg News,...