Searching for ET: An Investment in our Long Future

Monday, November 3, 2014
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
(Pacific)

Encina Hall (2nd floor)

Speaker: 
  • Jill Tarter

Abstract: Professor Philip Morrison once described SETI as the ‘archeology of the future’.  That characterization is both complex and immensely profound. We are a very young technology in a very old galaxy; detection of another technological civilization will validate the proposition that it is possible to become an old technology. 

SETI marked its semi-centennial as a scientific exploration in 2010. Now that exoplanets have been discovered in such abundance and diversity, and Earth 2.0 is a reasonable expectation, it seems more relevant than ever to ask the “Are we alone?” question.  What should we be doing to improve our capability to detect intelligent life beyond Earth? 

To date, technology has been our proxy for intelligence, and our searches have concentrated on electromagnetic radiation.  Should we be emphasizing artifacts? Perhaps collaborating with programs now systematically trying to explore our local solar neighborhood to find small bodies on collision courses with Earth?  Is there a case for genomic SETI?  Should we consider other information-carrying particles in addition to photons?  And if we do continue to emphasize EM signals, how do we improve our sensitivity to transient events, and what other portions of the spectrum can we explore?  Is it time to start transmitting instead of just listening?

There are lots of technical questions about how to move forward, but the most difficult question of all may be how do we integrate and support this vast, and potentially long-term endeavor into a world of short-term thinking?  How do we justify continued investment in SETI?  

 

About the Speaker: Dr. Jill Tarter holds the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.  Tarter received her Bachelor of Engineering Physics Degree with Distinction from Cornell University and her Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley.  She is a Fellow of the AAAS and of the California Academy of Sciences, where she also serves on the Board of Trustees.  She is passionate about science education and strives to secure funding for SETI research, particularly with the Allen Telescope Array.  Tarter’s work has brought her wide recognition, including two Public Service Medals from NASA.  In 2004 Time Magazine named her one of the Time 100 most influential people in the world.  Tarter was one of three TED prizewinners in 2009, and was a recipient of the Silicon Valley Women of Influence 2010 Award.  Many people are now familiar with her work as portrayed by Jodie Foster in the movie Contact.