SETI Institute

PRESS RELEASE: https://buff.ly/3UN4exl SETI Institute Strengthens Science Advisory Board with Five New Members The SETI Institute welcomed five new experts to its Science Advisory Board (SAB), broadening its scope in important scientific and ethical domains essential to understanding life and intelligence in the universe. The new members bring expertise in science communication, ethics and philosophy, animal cognition and intelligence, analysis of extraterrestrial materials, and planetary astronomy. Joining the SAB are: Jordan Bimm (University of Chicago), Chelsea Haramia (Spring Hill College and University of Bonn), Lori Marino (Whale Sanctuary Project and The Kimmela Center for Scholarship-based Animal Advocacy), Keiko Nakamura-Messenger (ExLabs LLC) and Quanzhi Ye (University of Maryland). “SETI is a multifaceted, truly interdisciplinary endeavor that brings unique challenges,” said Lucian Walkowicz, Chair, SETI Institute Science Advisory Board. “I’m excited to welcome our new Science Advisory Board members in helping the SETI Institute meet those challenges, broadening the scope of the Board with both depth of knowledge and creative thinking.” These new members enhance the SAB’s collective knowledge and network. They join a team that provides strategic guidance on scientific priorities, collaborative opportunities and funding sources for the SETI Institute’s research, education and outreach initiatives. SAB members serve renewable two-year terms, advising SETI Institute leadership on national and global science priorities to guide its mission in understanding the origins and distribution of life and intelligence in the cosmos. "The SETI Institute is privileged to have access to an extraordinary group of scientists and scholars who provide critically important counsel, guidance and outside perspectives through our Science Advisory Board," said Bill Diamond, SETI Institute CEO. "The SAB helps us stay on top of the latest developments in relevant fields of research and navigate the complex and nuanced domain of government-funded science. Our five newest members bring diverse scientific and cultural perspectives to the SAB together with their extraordinary professional backgrounds. From planetary science, materials science and philosophy to neuroscience and the history of science, we are thrilled to have these distinguished scholars add their voices and expertise to the SAB.”

MARS: EARLY HISTORY, MOONS, GLACIERS, GIANT VOLCANOES, CAVES, HUMAN EXPLORATION, AND OUR FUTURE SEARCH FOR LIFE Hear my thoughts on why: * Early Mars had a cold -not warm- climate with extensive ice covers, but liquid water was still abundant as the ground was warmer then. * Mars' moons (Phobos & Deimos) would be exciting destinations for the first human mission to Mars (orbit). * Water ice might still be preserved near Mars' equator (discovery w/ Sourabh Shubham & John W. Schutt of a "relict glacier" in Noctis Labyrinthus). * "Noctis Landing" would be an exciting place for humans to land & explore on Mars (discovery w/ Sourabh Shubham of the ancient giant volcano in Noctis). * We should explore caves on Mars to search for signs of extant (living) Life. t.ly/qWBYM SETI Institute, Mars Institute, Kepler Space University, NASA Ames Research Center, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Space Society

#ICYMI: https://buff.ly/4eHJHRL Franck Marchis and Lauren Sgro discussed comet observations and exoplanet discoveries in this month's Unistellar + SETI Institute Citizen Science Q&A. They also answered your questions on the basics of participating in our projects! #citizenscience

In this week's issue: ?? Janice Bishop Honored with the 2024 Arthur L. Day Medal ?? Returning to Lake Untersee Update 5 ?? Malliouhana's "Sea & Stars Adventure" Illuminates Anguilla's #NightSky and Young Minds ?? #SETIAIR Newsletter - November 2024 ?? KQED Forum: #SETI Scientists on 40 Years of Asking the Universe 'Are We Alone?' ?? #SETILIVE Replay: SETI Institute 40th Anniversary Panel: Looking Back to Look Ahead ?? Big Picture Science: Beyond the Periodic Table ?? Planetary Picture of the Day - Week of November 11, 2024 #podcast #science

https://buff.ly/4fBO7e9 Malliouhana, Anguilla's premier luxury resort, concluded a week-long educational and experiential series from November 4 to 9, 2024, marking a stellar highlight in the resort's 40th Anniversary Season of Celebration. “The Sea & Stars Adventure” featured an innovative program that seamlessly blended STEM education, citizen science, and stargazing. Showcasing Malliouhana's commitment to luxury hospitality and expanding scientific engagement in the local community, the events set a new benchmark for experiential travel in the Caribbean. The adventure began with an island-wide school outreach program that touched the lives of hundreds of Anguillian students. Dr. Franck Marchis from NASA-affiliated partners SETI Institute and Unistellar led an international team of experts in visiting local schools. "Our goal was to spark curiosity and expand interest in the exciting possibilities of science, technology, and space among Anguilla's youth," said Dr. Marchis, Chief Scientific Officer at Unistellar and Senior Planetary Astronomer at the SETI Institute. "The enthusiasm we witnessed was truly astronomical."

REMINDER: https://buff.ly/4fGY9ei The SETI Institute is pleased to offer three community college students the chance to intern with researchers during the spring semester of 2025. The internship, for one [or two days] per week, will be in-person at the Institute’s Mountain View headquarters or at the Unistellar Office, San Francisco. Travel expenses and a stipend will be provided. The online application can be found at https://buff.ly/4eGn28C; the deadline for applications is November 30, 2024.

#PPOD: Chasma Borealis and the North Polar Ice Cap Climatic cycles of ice and dust built the Martian polar caps, season by season, year by year — and then whittled down their size when the climate changed. Here, we are looking at the head of Chasma Boreale, a canyon that reaches 570 kilometers into the north polar cap. Canyon walls rise about 1,400 meters above the floor. Where the edge of the ice cap has retreated, sheets of sand that accumulated during earlier ice-free climatic cycles are emerging. Winds blowing off the ice have pushed loose sand into dunes, then driven them down-canyon in a westward direction, toward our viewpoint. Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University, R. Luk Sign up for our enews: https://buff.ly/4fWRhJp

https://buff.ly/3Z3pkZk The SETI Institute turns 40 this month! What began as a two-person project at the NASA Ames Research Center has now grown into a vibrant, independent research institute with over 100 scientists, all focused on answering the question, “Are we alone in the universe?” Our “grants ninja,” Debbie Koyler, remembers working in our first office, housed in trailer T-191 at NASA Ames. Back then, Jill Tarter was the SETI Institute’s very first (and only) Principal Investigator. Last night, Jill received the inaugural Tarter Prize for her outstanding, life-long contribution to #SETI research at our fabulous space-themed anniversary party. More AIR program news is at the link above. Wishing you clear skies, Bettina

#PPOD: Pluto at Night The night side of #Pluto spans this shadowy scene. From the stunning space-based perspective, the Sun is 4.9 billion kilometers (almost 4.5 light-hours) behind the dim and distant world. It was captured by far-flung New Horizons in July of 2015 when the spacecraft was at a range of some 21,000 kilometers from Pluto, about 19 minutes after its closest approach. A denizen of the Kuiper Belt in dramatic silhouette, the image also reveals Pluto's tenuous, surprisingly complex layers of hazy atmosphere. Near the top of the frame, the crescent twilight landscape includes southern areas of nitrogen ice plains now formally known as Sputnik Planitia and rugged mountains of water-ice in the Norgay Montes. #planetaryscience Credit: NASA, Johns Hopkins Univ./APL, Southwest Research Institute via APOD

Join Dr. Franck Marchis, Chief Science Officer and co-founder at Unistellar and director of Citizen Science at SETI Institute, and Dr. Lauren Sgro, Outreach Manager at the SETI Institute, for a conversation on citizen science with the Unistellar network in partnership with the SETI Institute. We will take the time to answer your questions about our program on the Unistellar community page and discuss some of the recent highlights. #citizenscience #communityscience #science #outreach #unistellar