The inaugural Exoplanets in Our Backyard conference was held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, TX from February 5-7, 2020, where members of the Virtual Planetary Laboratory helped create synergies between the solar system and exoplanet science communities.
Facilitated by the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG), the Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG), and the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG), discussions spanned science policy, this conference provided a platform for discussing the fundamentals of each discipline’s science and how each field can help other fields.
This conference opened channels of communication between communities to better work together in the future. With members spanning all disciplines represented, the VPL was and continues to be a core driver in unifying exoplanet and Solar System science.
If you weren’t able to attend the workshop you can review the program, abstracts, and view recordings of the presentations here. The organizers have also published a summary of the findings from the workshop, which you can read here.