Building Planetary Systems: From Star Formation to Exoplanet Demographics

Description of Symposium:

Star and planet formation are some of the most active and heavily researched subfields in astronomy. Despite this, there are fundamental open questions that remain to be answered in how systems like our own Solar System formed, and how they compare to the distributions elsewhere. New observations from facilities such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are providing unprecedented views of stellar nurseries, molecular clouds, protoplanetary disks, and young planetary systems. Combined with theoretical models and numerical simulations, these observations allow us to test our understanding of the physical processes that govern star and planet formation and form a cohesive story of our origins here on Earth.

This symposium will bring together faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and students from UTEP and NMSU to present and discuss their research in star and planet formation. Presentations are optional but highly encouraged, with presenters able to choose between 5-minute and 15-minute talks. Multiple discussion periods will provide opportunities for participants to ask questions, exchange ideas, and learn about research being conducted at both universities. 

Above all, the symposium is intended to build connections between researchers at UTEP and NMSU and create opportunities for future collaboration between groups and researchers at all career stages.

For more information on the schedule, please see the "Schedule" page.

If you are interested in attending, please fill out the form on the "Registration" page.

For the location and directions, please see the "Venue and Directions" page.

If you have further questions, please see the "Contact us" page.

Important Dates: 

Registration Opens: August 28, 2026

Registration Deadline: September 11, 2026

Symposium: September 18, 2026