Dr. Asha M. George Appointed to Committee on Planetary Protection at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

WASHINGTON,D.C. (Nov. 15, 2024) – Dr. Asha M. George, Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, has been appointed to the Committee on Planetary Protection (CoPP) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The CoPP serves as a source of advice on measures undertaken to protect the biological and environmental integrity of extraterrestrial bodies and to preserve the integrity of Earth’s biosphere, also an issue of great interest to the Commission. Earlier this year, the Commission released its 2024National Blueprint for Biodefense which included two specific recommendations on astrobiodefense.

“The Committee on Planetary Protection of the National Academies’ Space Studies Board welcomes Dr. George as a new member,” said David P. Fidler, co-chair of the committee. “Dr.George’s expertise on public health security and her leadership on the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense will be valuable to the committee’s focus on protecting the Earth’s biosphere and facilitating the search for life elsewhere in the solar system as the exploration and uses of space evolve and expand.”

Included in the Commission’s 2024 National Blueprint for Biodefense is a recommendation that Congress authorize the NASA Office of Planetary Protection. Authorization would ensure the continuity of the Office into the future, establish the Office in statute, and provide further opportunity for Congressional oversight and appropriations. Dr. George notes that there are two primary goals in prioritizing astrobiodefense: to prevent the contamination of extraterrestrial environments with Earth’s organisms; and to prevent extraterrestrial or mutated terrestrial microbes from harming Earth’s inhabitants or biosphere.

“As fantastical as it may sound, astrobiodefense is neither hypothetical nor fictional,” said Dr. George. “It is a real challenge that requires urgent attention and action. The Committee on Planetary Protection not only monitors progress implementing guidelines identified in the National Academies’ planetary science decadal surveys, it plays a vital role ensuring that these issues remain in the forefront of discussions among federal policymakers and national thought leaders, like the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense. I am honored to accept this appointment and look forward to serving with my colleagues on the Committee.”

Planetary Protection is the practice of protecting solar system bodies from contamination by Earth life and protecting Earth from possible life forms that may be returned from other solar system bodies. The NASA Office of Planetary Protection promotes the responsible exploration of the solar system by implementing and developing efforts that protect the science, explored environments and Earth.

Dr. Asha M. George is a public health security professional whose research and programmatic emphasis has been practical, academic, and political. She served in the U.S. House of Representatives as a senior professional staffer and subcommittee staff director at the House Committee on Homeland Security in the 110th and 111th Congress. She has worked for a variety of organizations, including government contractors, foundations, and non-profits. As a contractor, she supported and worked with all Federal Departments, especially the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. George also served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a military intelligence officer and as a paratrooper. She is a decorated Desert Storm Veteran. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is also a graduate of the Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.