Are we alone in the universe’ That question, which has been asked since the beginning of human history, may be answered in the coming decades. In a lecture at 91Â鶹¾«Æ·, Dr. Peter Backus, Observing Programs Manager and Senior Scientist at the SETI Institute in California, will discuss the tantalizing prospects for ‘contact.’
Backus, a radio astronomer, has worked on the SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] project since 1985. The institute’s mission is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature, prevalence and distribution of life in the universe. Backus has been involved in radio searches for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations for nearly two decades, and he will discuss the ways in which recent advances in science and technology have increased the possibility of finding such civilizations.
Backus will speak in Love Auditorium, Olin Hall, on Tuesday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. His lecture is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by 91Â鶹¾«Æ·â€™s Physics and Astronomy Department and the CORE Scientific Perspectives Program.