The Hamptons Observatory along with Suffolk County Community College will be hosting a free, virtual lecture by Dr. Jill Tarter, co-founder of the SETI Institute.
“It is an honor to host one of the pioneers of the scientific search for extraterrestrial life. Dr. Jill Tarter, who was one of the two employees at NASA’s SETI program and who, in 1984, co-founded the SETI Institute, has had a long, distinguished career, “ said Donna L. McCormick, Hamptons Observatory’s Executive Director.
“We look forward to learning from this venerable icon. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Tarter, as well as to our co-host, one of Long Island’s prominent academic institutions, for their participation in this event,” she added.
In the lecture, which will take place on Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m., Dr. Tarter will talk about her work with SETI and deeply explore her continued journey on the age-old question, “Are We Alone?”
Tarter is known for her pioneering research as a co-founder of the SETI Institute, where she is now Emeritus Chair for SETI Research and a Trustee. She also inspired the character played by Jodi Foster in the 1997 film, Contact.
For most of her professional career, Tarter has searched for evidence of technological civilizations beyond Earth. She served as a Project Scientist for NASA’s SETI Program and was named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2004 and in 2012, one of the “Time 25 in Space.”
In addition to her TED prize in 2009, Tarter’s two public service awards from NASA and her multiple awards for contributions to science and science education, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2021. Asteroid 74824 Tarter was also named in her honor.
Not only will Tarter talk about her extensive background, but she will focus on the question that humans have been exploring for decades: is there life beyond Earth and is any of it intelligent? We want to know where we came from, and where we are going, and where we fit in exactly. Dr. Tarter will explore the many different questions we have on space. She will explain just how far we have come, and the direction in which we are going when it comes to space exploration.
The virtual lecture is titled A Cosmic Perspective – Searching for Aliens, Finding Ourselves and will take place on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 7 p.m. Visit www.hamptonsobservatory.org for more information. It is a free event. Reservations are required at https://Tarter-Talk.eventbrite.com.
This event will be recorded and later posted on Hamptons Observatory’s YouTube channel at www.bit.ly/ObservatoryVideos.