280 Planetary Exploration and Education: How We Learn About Our Solar System and Beyond
This session links how we teach and learn about the solar system to how we have gained that information (i.e., space missions). Descriptions of teaching activities/courses, and strategies for working with students are encouraged.
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, 214B
The Texas Area Planetary Science (TAPS) Meeting: Building a Collaborative Planetary Science Community in Texas and Beyond
Paper number: 280-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:50 PM – 2:10 PM
Authors
Abstract
The Texas Area Planetary Science (TAPS) meeting is an annual conference series that brings together planetary scientists, astronomers, geologists, and students from across Texas. Founded in 2023 and now entering its third year, TAPS is supported by the Heising-Simons Foundation and NASA to provide a low-cost, accessible venue for sharing recent research, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and mentoring the next generation of scientists in the Texas area. The meeting features invited talks from leaders in the field, contributed oral and poster presentations, and dedicated networking sessions designed to connect researchers at all career stages. TAPS actively encourages the development of local collaborations and raises awareness of resources available within the Texas planetary science community. This talk will introduce the history and structure of TAPS, highlight success stories from its first two years, and discuss the broader role of regional meetings in advancing planetary science and exploration.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6
doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-414953
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