Areas of Expertise: Environmental biology, planetary protection, policy.

Over the past decade, she has served on several National Research Council (NRC) studies of forward and back contamination associated with missions to Mars and elsewhere in the solar system. In addition, she served as an organizer and editor of a series of international workshops on containment and testing protocols for Mars sample return missions and participated in several recent studies of planetary protection for human missions to Mars. Dr. Race is also actively involved in science education and public outreach about astrobiology through schools, museums, and presentations for general audiences.

Recent publications:
Race, M.S. 2005. The Implications of Discovering Extraterrestrial Life: Different Searches, Different Issues. Chapter in a forthcoming book: Exploring the Origin, Extent and Future of Life, edited by AAAS program 'Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion: (DoSER;) Cambridge University Press (in final editing, Fall 2005)

Hogan, J.A., J.W. Fisher, J.A. Levri, K. Wignarajah, M.S. Race, and P. Stabekis. Influence of Planetary Protection Guidelines on Waste Management Operations, paper 05ICES266, International Conference on Environmental Systems, Rome Italy, July 2005

Race, M.S., 2005. Societal and Ethical Dimensions of Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, in Planets and Life: The Emerging Science of Astrobiology, W.R. Sullivan and J. Baross (eds.), Cambridge Univ. Press, in press.

Criswell, M.E., M.S. Race, J.D. Rummel, and A. Baker (eds,), 2005. Planetary Protection Issues in the Human Exploration of Mars, Pingree Park Final Workshop Report, NASA / CP - 2005 - 213461, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View CA

Race, M.S., 2004. Communicating About the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life: Different Searches, Different Issues. International Astronaut. Conf., Vancouver Canada, October 2004, Paper IAC-04-IAA.1.1.2.02