I hope you are all doing well given the unusual circumstances. We all experienced hardship and uncertainty and I am a strong believer that just one light can help brighten everyone’s day.
So, I’d like to start an appreciation thread here, for the Genelab-OSDR teams, and for the AWG!
Reply to this thread if you want to share what this AWG community means to you, I’d love for the teams behind the data/science to realize the magnitude of our strength and community!
The community that was created by these initiatives is nothing short of groundbreaking and I am so grateful for the new people I have met through these groups and collaborations. Making sure our science truly benefits all of mankind is such a wonderful goal, and none of it could be done alone.
So thank you GeneLab/OSDR/ALSDA team, for being there, for sharing your time, skills, and passion, for making all of us better, for sacrificing so much to support and do space science. I see all of you. As Carl Sagan says, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known” and you all are helping to make it happen.
OSDR’s superpower is the AWG community! Our data and metadata quality is improved every day by your participation and engagement So much appreciation for everyone who contributes to make open science in space biology a reality
Thank you, Marie! Since joining the AWG community in 2021, I’ve met amazing colleagues and friends, learned so much, and enjoyed countless collaborations. So much love to the powerful of our AWG family! Grateful for the support, opportunities, and shared passion for science.
I wholeheartedly agree with Marie and really appreciate all that the GeneLab/OSDR/ALSDA does for our community. It’s been incredible learning about the hard work behind the dozens (probably hundreds!) of publications and analyses this team has made possible. We can’t do it without you, and most of the broader scientific community will never understand what it takes to do what you do… but we do! and we are extremely grateful! Thank you for everything.
The OSDR has enabled so many new international collaboration and papers. I can’t find the words or KPI’s to best express its impact and perhaps that’s because its still exponentially growing! Ad astra!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who’s been part of this incredible journey.
As the Multi-Omics AWG Director of Communication, I have the privilege of working alongside some of the most brilliant minds in science and innovation. Your passion, dedication, and expertise continue to inspire me every day. Together, we’ve bridged the gap between cutting-edge research and impactful communication, ensuring that our discoveries reach and resonate with the world.
I’m beyond grateful to be part of such a forward-thinking team. Here’s to the collaborative spirit that fuels our success—thank you for letting me be part of it!
I found my tribe with the GeneLab/OSDR/ALSDA team and wider community, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. This is an incredible group of people, enabled by dedicated and enthusiastic individuals. Being part of the community has profoundly changed my career and given me opportunity to do things I’d never have done otherwise, and I’ve made some really good friends along the way. I’m very grateful to those who have been instrumental in making this community what it is, you are all amazing.
As others have said, GL, OSDR and the AWGs have been so important for my research and career over the past few years, and have led to brilliant ideas, collaborations, discoveries, and friendships. The openness, talent and shared purpose have made this an awesome place to explore life in space. I love doing science with this community and can’t thank you all enough.
NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) has a knack for bringing the space research community together in the best possible way. By opening up high-quality spaceflight and analog research data for everyone, it tears down walls between disciplines and sparks collaborations that might never have happened otherwise. OSDR isn’t just a place to store data — it’s a hub where ideas connect, new partnerships form, and discoveries move faster. It creates a welcoming space where seasoned researchers and newcomers alike can dive in, share insights, and help push space biology and human exploration forward.
On a personal note, without the @PlantAWG , @rtscott2001@dr.richard.barker@wyatts@iperera I would not have been able to test the effect of spaceflight on plant telomeres. And this work lead to a beautiful collaboration that is still ongoing with @ec001221 . It’s proof that when science is open, the whole community wins.
This is a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who is a part of GL, OSDR, ALSDA, and the AWGs. This is made possible by the incredible work from the people at NASA (@rtscott2001@kristen.peach@asaravia@barbara.novak@alexis.torres@olabiyi@danielle.lopez91@sigrid.reinsch and so many others) who tirelessly work to create the highest standard for data quality and accessibility. This foundation makes it possible for current and future data to be re-analyzed and for metadata to be explored in new ways to drive the next chapters of space exploration.
The AWGs host the most positive and inspiring community I’ve ever been a part of, filled with passionate individuals from incredibly diverse backgrounds and brought together by one shared love of space. It brings me so much joy every day to have a welcoming platform to imagine the future of space biology together.
I’ve learned so much from this community, which has opened doors to new opportunities, expanded my network, and taught me new skills (a special thank you to @dr.richard.barker&@borjabarbero for your incredible leadership and guidance). I’m excited for all the work happening now and for what’s yet to come. I feel privileged every day to be a part of such an amazing group of people. Thank you for everything you do to support the AWGs and the future of space biology research. Ad astra!
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank @lauren.sanders,@james.casaletto,@svcostes,@rtscott2001 and all our members at @AIMLawg and especially our digital twin subgroup for your support and encouragement at every meeting and every opportunity. You’ve made my own career meaningful. The AWG community embodies the true spirit of open science and why it is meaningful and awesome to work together towards a better future. I also learned so much from PlantsAWG and HumanAWG: there are just so many amazing things that members here are working on, and I can let my curiosity run free by joining any groups that I find fascinating. This is truly a wonderful place.
On behalf of hundreds of citizen scientists around the globe who participated in the AI/ML for Space Biology Research program, thank you for making high quality data available for all. Democratizing data, software, computation, and knowledge is humanity at its best. A special shout out to @rtscott2001 who tirelessly promotes this great work to every corner of the solar system.
The presence of Genelab, AWG gives me that structure and rhythm needed to be active in science despite life! No matter what happens, knowing that there is a need for science to be done with some amazing people like @lauren.sanders , @jgong keeps the motivation going! This right here is a treasure trove for anyone who wants to get started or contribute or take the leap forward any area of science - knowing that encouragement is always around the corner and good people are always willing to give advice is such a blessing!
Huge shoutout to @rtscott2001 to always helping with everything! Though the community is huge, but Ryan has always made sure I am not lost!
I can deep dive into one topic or run amok with curiosity into different groups but I always gain something! This community right here is true epitome of democratizing data.
Thank you everything that you do!
I’m still pretty new to this community but I can’t express the admiration and appreciation I have for the people I’ve met. Where else are you able to collaborate with some of the most brilliant thinkers on and off the planet, and push together not to just better humanity on Earth, but to lay the groundwork for establishing humanity outside of it?
People are doing exploratory research in places that are at best dimly lit. Genuinely navigating in the darkness to elucidate new knowledge and broaden the entire scope of the human species.
It’s an incredible shame that so much of the US has adopted anti-intellectualism into their daily diet. What an abysmal failure that NASA, arguably the biggest and most positive international brand (science or otherwise) the US has created is being treated as an appendage, and not a core organ.
I feel so lucky to work with the type of people I dreamt of becoming when I was a child. There’s heros everywhere you turn here. The future is never secured, but never has it felt this tenuous in my small lifetime. However, if there’s one thing I am sure of, it’s that the people here will never stop pushing past the boundaries and reaching into the unknown. Afterall, the journey can’t end when the destination is infinity.
My head’s up, looking to the vastness of our future. Hope yours is, too. Thank you. All of you.
Thanks for starting this beautiful thread. The AWG community—including GeneLab and OSDR—is such a model of collaboration and inspiration in space biology. I’m especially grateful for the many people, both in the spotlight and behind the scenes, whose dedication and expertise keep this tremendous pipeline moving—from labs and data systems to processing and curation.
Your work connects us across disciplines and continents, turning our science into a global effort with real value for the public and the world. It’s a privilege to be part of this amazing community as we keep pushing our curiosity and discoveries beyond Earth.
It is a privilege to learn from everyone in GeneLab/OSDR/ALSDA. Beyond the extraordinary work you do in making invaluable information accessible, this community continuously sparks new conversations, opens new directions, and allows us to witness first-hand the innovations that deepen our understanding of the universe, from the microscopic to the cosmic scale. I have taken the opportunity to explore every group I could, in order to strengthen my own work and, hopefully, to contribute something of value in return. It is truly a pleasure to collaborate with such talented, generous and open-minded people.
I wanted to say something uplifting and supportive about this, but that’s never been my strong suit and I couldn’t think of anything that didn’t feel insubstantial in the face of everything going on. Instead, I think the most sincere thing I can do is illustrate exactly what the existence of this community means to me. Today is my 467th day in exile. I am trapped working at a mine as I scramble in vain for any opportunity to continue my education or even to work in my own field. The AWG’s are my last remaining link to scientific research. Without them I would be entirely cut off and functionally lost. It is impossible for me to adequately describe how grateful I am both for that lifeline, and for the support of the AI/ML group in particular, which enabled me to pursue this path in the first place. At the moment, it is extremely difficult for me to picture the shape of the future in any meaningful sense, as I imagine it is for many others here as well. But even so, the existence of this community is a raft which makes the present far easier to weather.
Thank you for starting the stream Marie I can really relate to what you’ve said. OSDR has touched me personally as well — shaping how I see my role, the work I do, and the way I connect with others. Like you, I’ve found the people here to be a constant source of inspiration, collaboration, and shared purpose.
It’s a privilege to be part of a community that not only advances science but also leaves such a positive mark on who we are and how we work together.
Heartfelt thanks to the OSDR community! Since joining the AWG family in 2021, I’ve had the privilege of connecting with incredible colleagues and friends, gaining invaluable knowledge, and engaging in numerous fruitful collaborations. I’m filled with appreciation for the AWG community’s collective strength and dedication. I have learnt so much from all of you. Thanks for the support, opportunities, and shared enthusiasm for advancing science , it’s truly inspiring!
Being part of the NASA OSDR working groups has been an incredible learning experience. The commitment to open, reproducible science and the thoughtful integration of diverse datasets have challenged me to think more critically and creatively. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute, learn from experts across disciplines, and be part of a community that is actively shaping the future of space biosciences through transparent and collaborative data practices.
So much appreciation for everyone who contributes to make open science in space biology a reality 
