Jill Tarter

Jill 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 served as Project Scientist for NASA’s SETI program, the High Resolution Microwave Survey, and has conducted numerous observational programs at radio observatories worldwide. Since the termination of funding for NASA’s SETI program in 1993, she has served in a leadership role to secure private funding to continue the exploratory science. Currently, she serves on the management board for the Allen Telescope Array, an innovative array of 350 (when fully realized) 6-m antennas at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, it will simultaneously survey the radio universe for known and unexpected sources of astrophysical emissions, and speed up the search for radio emissions from other distant technologies by orders of magnitude.

Tarter’s work has brought her wide recognition in the scientific community, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Aerospace, two Public Service Medals from NASA, Chabot Observatory’s Person of the Year award (1997), Women of Achievement Award in the Science and Technology category by the Women’s Fund and the San Jose Mercury News (1998), and the Tesla Award of Technology at the Telluride Tech Festival (2001). She was elected an AAAS Fellow in 2002 and a California Academy of Sciences Fellow in 2003. In 2004 Time Magazine named her one of the Time 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2005 Tarter was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization at Wonderfest, the biannual San Francisco Bay Area Festival of Science.

Tarter is deeply involved in the education of future citizens and scientists. In addition to her scientific leadership at NASA and SETI Institute, Tarter was the Principal Investigator for two curriculum development projects funded by NSF, NASA, and others. The first, the Life in the Universe series, created 6 science teaching guides for grades 3-9 (published 1994-96). Her second project, Voyages Through Time, is an integrated high school science curriculum on the fundamental theme of evolution in six modules: Cosmic Evolution, Planetary Evolution, Origin of Life, Evolution of Life, Hominid Evolution and Evolution of Technology (published 2003). Tarter is a frequent speaker for science teacher meetings and at museums and science centers, bringing her commitment to science and education to both teachers and the public. Many people are now familiar with her work as portrayed by Jodie Foster in the movie Contact.

• 1989 Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Aerospace
• Two  NASA Public Service Medals (one at Ames Research Center and one at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC) and a HRMS Group Achievement Award (1993)
• Chabot Observatory Person of the Year Award (Feb. 1997)
• Bernard M. Oliver Endowed Chair, SETI Institute (1997-2018)
• Elected Fellow of the Explorers Club (1997)
• Women of Achievement Award, Science & Technology category, presented by the Women’s Fund and the San Jose Mercury News (1998). 
• Telluride Technology Festival Award of Technology (July 2001)
• AAAS Fellow (2002)
• California Academy of Sciences Fellow (2003) and member of the Board of Trustees (2006 - 2016), Academy President (2015-2016)
• Named Time 100 most influential people in the world (2004)
• Asteroid 74824 Tarter (1999 TJ16), named and approved by the International Astronomical Union’s Small Bodies Naming Committee (2005)
• Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization, Wonderfest (2005)
•  2009 Technology, Education, Design (TED) prize winner
• Named Time 25 most influential people in Space (2012)
• Jansky Lecturer (2014)

• Scientist Interview - Jill Tarter - Beating the Odds
• TED Prize Talk
• Biography by Sarah Scoles
• NOVA-The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers
• KQED QUEST Interview Part I and Part II

Liebert, J., Allen, C., Schweizer, F., and Tarter, J.C.  “Evolution of Super-Helium Rich 2 MO Stars,” P.A.S.P. 83, p. 626 (1971).

Silk, J. and Tarter, J.C.  “Groups and Clusters of Galaxies:  The Case for a Clumpy Intergalactic Medium,” Ap. J.183, p. 387 (1973).

Tarter, J.C. and Silk, J.  “Current Constraints on Hidden Mass in the Coma Cluster,” Q.J.R.A.S. 15, p. 122 (1974).

Wright, M., Tarter, J.C., and Silk, J.  “Limits on the Neutral Hydrogen Content of Coma and Other Clusters,”Astron. & Astrophys. 36, p. 441 (1974).

Cuzzi, J.N., Black, D.C., Clark, T.A., and Tarter, J.C.  “SETI:  A Preliminary Search for Narrowband Signals at Microwave Frequencies.”  Proceedings of COSPAR Meeting, June 1977, Tel Aviv, Israel (1977).

Black, D.C., Cuzzi, J.N., Clark, T.A., Tarter, J.C., and Connors, M.  “Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence:  The Ultimate Exploration,” Mercury, July-August, 3 (1977).

Tarter, J.C.  “Brown Dwarfs and Black Holes,” Astronomy, April 18 (1978).

Tarter, J.C.  “Some Problems with the Interpretation of Recent Microwave Background Observations in the Direction of Galaxy Clusters, or, Beware of Negative Antenna Temperatures,” Ap. J. 220, pp. 749-755 (1978).

Tarter, J.C. and Wright, M.C.H.  “Improved Limits of Intergalactic Intracluster HI in the Coma Cluster,” Astron. & Astrophys. 76, p. 127 (1979). 
 

Tarter, J.C., Cuzzi, J.N., Black, D.C., Clark, T.A., Stull, M., and Drake, F.D.  “SETI:  High Sensitivity Searches at NASA with High Speed Tape Recorders.”  Paper #79-A-43 from 8th International CETI Review Symposium of the International Academy of Astronautics in Munich, Germany (1979).

Zuckerman, B. and Tarter, J.C.  “Is There Anyone Out There?”  Nature 281, p. 528 (1979).

Tarter, J.C.  “Radio Searches for Other Civilizations.”  Proceedings of Conference on Life in the Universe sponsored by UNESCO, Council of Europe GRECC, November 1979, Paris, France (1979).

Tarter, J.C.  “The Cosmic Haystack.”  Nov. 16th presentation as special consultant to Harlan Smith Working Group on SETI of the National Academy of Sciences Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 1980s Survey Committee (1979).

Tarter, J.C., Cuzzi, J., Black, D.C., and Clark, T.A.  “A High Sensitivity Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at 18 CM,” Icarus 42, p. 136 (1980).

Tarter, J.C.  “Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence:  Report on IAA 8th Annual CETI Review in Munich, Germany,” Cosmic Search 2, p. 18 (1980).

Tarter, J.C.  “Life in the Universe:  Report on a Conference of the Council of Europe in Paris, France,” Cosmic Search, 2, p. 19 (1980).

Reynolds, R.T., Tarter, J.C., and Walker, R.G.  “A Proposed Search of the Solar Neighborhood for Sub-Stellar Objects,” Icarus 44, p. 772 (1980).

J. Billingham, J., Edelson, R., Gulkis, S., Olsen, E.T., Oliver, B.M., Tarter, J.C., and Seeger, C.L.  “A Search Strategy for SETI.”  Paper #IAA-80-57 presented at 9th CETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics in Tokyo, Japan (1980).

Bowyer, C.S., Zeitlin, G.M., Tarter, J.C., Lampton, M., and Welch, W.  “Analysis of SETI Data Collected in the Parasitic Mode.”  Paper #IAA-80-58 from 9th International CETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics in Tokyo, Japan (1980).

Zuckerman, B. and Tarter, J.C.  “Microwave Searches in the U.S.A. and Canada,” Strategies for the Search for Life in the Universe, M. D. Papagiannis (ed.), D. Reidel Publishing Co., pp. 81-92 (1981).

Gulkis, S., Olsen, E.T., and Tarter, J.C.  “A Bimodal Search Strategy for SETI,” Strategies for the Search for Life in the Universe, M. D. Papagiannis (ed.), D. Reidel Publishing Co., pp. 93-105 (1981). 
 

Wolfe, J., Edelson, R.E., Billingham, J., Crow, R.B., Gulkis, S., Olsen, E.T., Oliver, B.M., Peterson, A.M., Seeger, C.L., and Tarter, J.C.  “SETI - The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence:  Plans and Rationale,” Life in the Universe, J. Billingham (ed.), The MIT Press, pp. 391-417 (1981).

Tarter, J.C. and Israel, F.P.  “A Symbiotic Approach to SETI Observations:  Use of Radio Maps from the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope.”  Paper #IAA-81-299 from 10th International CETI Review Symposium of the International Academy of Astronautics in Rome, Italy, September, 1981; Acta Astronautica9, pp. 415-419 (1982).

Tarter, J.C. and Israel, F.P.  “A Symbiotic Approach to SETI:  Use of Radio Maps from the Westerbork Synthesis Telescope!”  Bull. AAS 13, p. 840.  Poster paper presented at the 159th AAS Meeting, Boulder, Colorado (1982).

Tarter, J.C.  “Searching for Them:  Interstellar Communication,” Astronomy, October issue (1982).

Tarter, J.C.  “Synopsis of International Activities Relating to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).”  Briefing paper prepared for Senator William Proxmire and staff at the request of Dr. Carl Sagan (Planetary Society) (1982). 
 

Bowyer, C.S., Zeitlin, G.M., Tarter, J.C., Lampton, M., and Welch, W.  “The Berkeley Parasitic SETI Program.”  Paper #F.1.4.6 presented by C. S. Bowyer at Twenty-Fourth COSPAR Meeting in Ottawa, Canada (to be published in Advances in Space Exploration) (1982).

Shostak, S. and Tarter, J.C.  “SIGNAL (Search for Intelligence in the Galactic Nucleus with the Array of the Lowlands).”  Paper #IAA-82-262 presented at 11th CETI Review Meeting of the Academy of Astronautics in Paris, France (1982).  Published in Acta Astronautica, Vol. 12 No. 5, p. 369 (1985).

Tarter, J.C., Duquet, R.T., Clark, T., and Lesyna, L.  “Recent SETI Observations at Arecibo.”  Paper #IAA-82-263 presented at 11th CETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics in Paris, France.  Bull. AAS. 14, p. 885, poster paper presented at the 161st AAS Meeting, Boston, MA (1982).  Acta Astronautica 10, p. 277 (1983).

Bowyer, C.S., Zeitlin, G.M., Tarter, J.C., Lampton, M., and Welch, W.  “The Berkeley Parasitic SETI Program,”Icarus 53, pp. 147-155 (1983).

Tarter, J.C. and Lawless, J.  “Book Review of Space Travelers:  The Bringers of Life by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe,” Sky and Telescope 65, p. 331 (1983).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI Program.”  Letter to Science 22, April, p. 359 (1983).

Tarter, J.C.  “NASA’s First Systematic Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI):  Implications of this Conference.”  Paper presented at Conference on Interstellar Migration in Los Alamos, New Mexico, May 23-25 (1983).  Published in Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience, B. R. Finney and E. M. Jones (eds.), University of California Press (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI at Arecibo,” The Planetary Report 3, p. 16 (1983).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI and Serendipity,” SETI Science Working Group Report, F. Drake and J. Wolfe (eds.), NASA Technical Publication 2244, p. 91, 93 (1983).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI and Serendipity,” Bull. AAS 15, p. 1001 (1983).  Poster Paper presented at 163rd AAS Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, Jan. 8-11 (1984).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI and Serendipity.”  Paper #IAA-83-282 presented at 12th CETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics in Budapest, Hungary, (1983) Acta Astronautica 11, p. 387 (1984).

Tarter, J.C.  “Report from Budapest:  CETI,” Spaceflight 26, p. 142 (1984).

Tarter Committee.  “Background Paper on Observational Exobiology,” prepared for First Workshop on Exobiology from Earth Orbit at NASA Ames Research Center, August (1984).

Tarter, J.C.  “Report from the SETI Observatory.”  Talk presented at URSI General Assembly August 28 - September 5 (1984).

Tarter, J.C.  “The Detectability of Extraterrestrials and How to Search (SETI) for Them.”  Published inExtraterrestrials:  Science and Alien Intelligence, E. Regis (ed.), Cambridge University Press (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI Observations Worldwide.”  Published in Proceedings of IAU Symposium 112, M. D. Papagiannis (ed.), D. Reidel Publishing Company, pp. 271-289 (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI Observations Worldwide.”  Published in The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, K. I. Kellerman and G. A. Seielstad (eds.) (1985).

Wertheimer, D., Tarter, J.C., and Bowyer, C.S.  “SERENDIP II Design.”  Published in Proceedings of IAU Symposium 112, M. D. Papagiannis (ed.), D. Reidel Publishing Company, pp. 421-424 (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “Using the Very Large Array (VLA) and Other Radio Telescopes to Perform a Parasitic Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).”  Paper #IAF-84-245 from the 13th International CETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics in Lausanne, Switzerland (1984).  Acta Astronautica Vol. 12  No. 11, pp. 959-962 (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “Parasitic, Piggyback and Opportunistic SETI:  It’s Cheap and It Just Might Work!”  Bull. AAS 16, p. 999 (1985).  Poster paper presented at 165th AAS Meeting, Tucson, Arizona, January 13-16 (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “Preliminary Results of SETI Field Tests at Goldstone.”  Talk presented at North American Radio Science (URSI) Meeting, Vancouver, B.C., June 17-21 (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “Observational Exobiology.”  Talk presented at Second Symposium on Chemical Evolution and the Origin and Evolution of Life, Moffett Field, CA, July 23-26 (1985).

Tarter, J.C.  “Goldstone Field Test Activities:  Target Search.”  Talk presented at Second Symposium on Chemical Evolution and the Origin and Evolution of Life, Moffett Field, CA, July 23-26 (1985).

Tarter, J.C., Black, D.C., Billingham, J.  “Review of Methodology and Technology Available for the Detection of Extrasolar Planetary Systems.”  Paper #IAA-85-493 presented at Symposium on Interstellar Space Exploration of the International Academy of Astronautics in Stockholm, Sweden  (1985).  JBIS 39, p. 418 (1986).

Tarter, J.C.  “The Cosmic Haystack and Recent U.S. SETI Programs.”  Presented at SETI - 81 Symposium in Tallinn, Estonia, December 1981, published in Problema Poiska Jeeznee yo Vselennoi (Russian) (1986).

Tarter, J.C.  “A Review of the Experimental Studies on the Search for Messages from Extraterrestrial Civilizations (Optical and Radio).”  Presented at SETI - 81 Symposium in Tallinn, Estonia, December 1981, published in Problema Poiska Jeeznee yo Vselennoi (Russian) (1986).

Tarter, J.C.  “Statistics of ‘Excess’ Observatory Noise at the Nançay Telescope and Elsewhere.”  Paper #IAA-85-473 presented at the 14th International CETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics (1985).  JBIS 39 No. 3, p. 140 (1986).

Tarter, J.C.  “An Historical Perspective:  Brown is Not a Color.”  Published in Astrophysics of Brown Dwarfs, Kafatos, Harrington, Maran (eds.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 121-138 (1986).

Tarter, J.C. and Welch, W.  “A Cloud Collision Model for Water Maser Excitation,” Ap. J. 305, p. 467 (1986).

Tarter, J.C.  “The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” Atlas of the Universe, 1986 edition of the National Geographic Society (1986).

Tarter, J.C.  “Notes and News, IAU Symposium No. 115 on Star Forming Regions.”  Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India, Vol. 14, No. 1., pp. 59-63 (1986).

Klein, H.P., Tarter, J.C., DeFrees, D., Brownlee, D., Usher, D., and Irvine, W.  “Exobiology in Earth Orbit,”Origins of Life, Vol. 16, p. 419 (1986).

Tarter, J.C.  “Survey of Earth Orbital Telescopes and Their Potential for Exobiology,” Advances in Space, G. Horneck (ed.), Permagon Press, pp. 219-226 (1986).

Cohen, R.J., Downs, G., Emmerson, R., Grimm, M., Gulkis, S., Stevens, G., and Tarter, J.C.  “Narrow Polarized Components in the OH 1612 MHz Maser Emission from Supergiant OH-IR Sources,” M.N.R.A.S. 225, p. 491 (1987).

Co-wrote and edited (with Geoff Haines-Stiles) and narrated NASA video on SETI “Quest for Contact” (32 minutes).  Offered for sale in 1988 ASP Astronomy Selectory as Item Number VT100.

Tarter, J.C.  “The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 6, pp. 466-467 (1988).

Tarter, J.C.  “Field Test Results with the Targeted Search MCSA,” Bioastronomy-The Next Steps, G. Marx (ed.), pp. 357-362 (1988).

“Conference Report on Exobiology in Earth Orbit Workshops” (in press), H. P. Klein, W. Irvine, D. DeFrees, J. C. Tarter (eds.).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI:  Should Earthlings Tackle It?”  Letter to the Editor, Physics Today 41, p. 142 (1988).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI Field Tests with the MCSA 1.0 Prototype and Plans for Radio Astronomical Observations.”  Paper #IAA-88-539, presented at the 39th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation,  Bangalore, India, October 8-15 (1988).

Biraud, F. and Tarter, J.C.  “Conclusion of the Selected Target Search at the Nançay Observatory.”  Paper #IAA-88-542, presented at the 39th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation,  Bangalore, India, October 8-15 (1988).

Tarter, J.C.  “Bridges From New Worlds,” Space Technology International 1989, R. Turnill (ed.), Cornhill Publications Limited, London (1989).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI:  The Farthest Frontier,” Frontiers of Science, A. Scott (ed.), Basil Blackwell Limited, Oxford, pp. 185-199 (1989).

Tarter, J.C.  “As Bad As Things Are for Radio Astronomy In the Protected Bands — They Are Worse for SETI!”  To be published in proceedings of IAU Colloquium 112, David Crawford (ed.) (1989).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI:  Finding Extraterrestrial Technology May Be Easier than Finding Other Life.”  Presented at AAAS Meeting in January 1989, to be published in Path of Life:  From the Big Bang to the Big Brain, Bevin French (ed.).

Billingham, J. and Tarter, J.C.  “Detection of the Earth with the SETI Microwave Observing System Assumed to be Operating Out in the Galaxy.”  Paper #IAA-89-647 presented at the 19th International SETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics, Malaga, Spain (1989).

Heidmann, J., Biraud, F., and Tarter, J.C.  “Pulsar Aided SETI Experimental Observations.”  Paper #IAA-89-642 presented at the 19th International SETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics, Malaga, Spain (1989).

Tarter, J.C. “Radio Frequency Interference at Jodrell Bank within the Protected 21 cm Band.”  Paper #IAA-86-425 presented at the 15th International SETI Review Meeting of the International Academy of Astronautics, Innsbruck, Austria (1989).  Specia issue Acta Astronautica 19, No. 11, C.L. Seeger and A.R. Martin (eds.) pp. 907-912 (1989).

“SETI Post Detection Protocol.”  Special Issue Acta Astronautica, Vol. 21, No. 2, J.C. Tarter and M.A. Michaud (eds.) (1990).

Gulkis, S., Biraud, F., Heidmann, J., Tarter, J.C.  “Technical Considerations on Using the Large Nancay Radio Telescope for SETI.”  JPL SETI Preprint Series No. 007, May (1990).

Michaud, M.A., Billingham, J., and Tarter, J.C.  “A Reply From Earth?”  Paper #IAA-90-591 presented at the 41st Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, Dresden, Germany (1990).

Tarter, J.C. and Rummel, J. “Exobiology and SETI From the Lunar Farside,”           American Institute of Physics, pp. 99-106 (1990).

“Carbon in the Galaxy:  Studies from Earth and Space.”  J. C. Tarter, S. Chang and D. DeFrees (eds.), NASA Conference Publication 3061 (1990).

Tarter, J.C. and Klein, M.J.  “SETI:  On the Telescope and On the Drawing Board.”  Paper presented at the 3rd Bioastronomy Symposium in Val Cenis, France (1990).  Published in Bioastronomy:  The Search for Extraterrestrial Life - The Exploration Broadens, J. Heidmann and M. J. Klein (eds.) Springer-Verlag, NY, pp. 229-235 (1991).

Billingham, J., Michaud, M.A., and Tarter, J.C.  “The Declaration of Principles for Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence.”  Paper presented at the 3rd Bioastronomy Symposium in Val Cenis, France (1990).  Published in Bioastronomy:  The Search for Extraterrestrial Life - The Exploration Broadens, J. Heidmann and M. J. Klein (eds.) Springer-Verlag, NY, pp. 379-386 (1991).

Tarter, J.C., Backus, P.R., Cullers, D.K., Dreher, J.W., Hlavka, C. and Jordan, J.  “Trying to do Science Using High Spectral Resolution SETI Prototypes.”  Poster presented at the 3rd Bioastronomy Symposium in Val Cenis, France (1990).  Published in Bioastronomy:  The Search for Extraterrestrial Life - The Exploration Broadens, J. Heidmann and M. J. Klein (eds.) Springer-Verlag, NY, p. 283 (1991).

Dreher, J.W., Tarter, J.C., and Werthimer, D.  “A 1 Hz Resolution RFI Survey:  Preliminary Results.”  Paper presented at the 3rd Bioastronomy Symposium in Val Cenis, France (1990).  Published in Bioastronomy:  The Search for Extraterrestrial Life - The Exploration Broadens, J. Heidmann and M. J. Klein (eds.) Springer-Verlag, NY, pp. 217-222 (1991).

Tarter, J.C.  “The Search for Life Beyond the Solar System.”  Paper presented at the Frontiers of Life Conference, Blois, France, October 14-19 (1991).  Frontiers of Life, J.&K. Trân Thanh Vân, J.C. Mounoulou, J. Schneider, and C. McKay (eds.), Editions Frontières, France, pp. 351-397 (1992).

Tarter, J.C.  “Summary of Interference Measurements at Selected Radio Observatories.”  Paper #IAA-90-580 presented at the 41st Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, Dresden, Germany (1990). Acta Astronautica 26, No. 3/4, pp. 233-238 (1992).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI in the United States.”  Paper presented at the World Space Congress,     Washington, DC, August 28-September 5, 1992.  To be published in book of          proceedings (P. Backus, ed.).

Billingham, J. and Tarter, J.C.  “SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence).”  In Space Biology and Medicine, Vol. 1:  Space and its Exploration.  Ivanov, M., Kotelnikov, V., and Rummel, J., eds.  American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Washington, DC, pp. 247-273 (1993).

Tarter, J.C.  “SETI Concerns - Jill Tarter replies.”  Letter to the Editor, Sky & Telescope, p. 7 (March 1993).

Tarter, J.C.  “The NASA High Resolution Microwave Survey.”  News Letter of the Astronomical Society of New York, Vol. IV, No. 4.  A.G. Davis Philip (ed.), L. Davis Press, Inc., pp. 5-12 (August 1993).

Tarter, J.C.  The Current State of Searches for Extra-Solar System Planets.”  Third Decennial US-USSR Conference on SETI, G. Seth Shostak, ed.  ASP Conference Series, Vol. 47, pp. 166-173 (1993).

Tarter, J.C.  “Past and Future Observing Plans,” article in SETI News, 1st Quarter, Vol. 3, No. 1 (1994).

J.C. Tarter, “Project Phoenix Heads South!” article in SETI News, 4th Quarter, Vol. 3, No. 3 (1994).

J.C. Tarter and M.J. Klein, “HRMS:  Where We’ve Been, and Where We’re Going.” Paper presented at the Bioastronomy Symposium:  Progress in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life, Santa Cruz, CA, August 1993. ASP Conference Series, Vol. 74, S. Shostak (ed.) San Francisco, pp. 456-469 (1995).

J.C. Tarter, D. Milne, K. O’Sullivan, C. Stoneburner, et al., The Evolution of a Planetary System, The SETI Academy Planet Project.  Teacher’s guide for grades 5-6.  Three more guides to be published in Fall 1995.  Teacher Ideas Press, Englewood, Colorado (1995).

J.C. Tarter, “What’s Next for Phoenix?” article in SETI News, 3rd Quarter, Vol. 4, No. 2 (1995).

J.C. Tarter, “Project Phoenix:  Looking Up From Down Under.”  CSIRO Space Industry News 68, pp. 8-9.  CSIRO Office of Space Science & Applications, Canberra (1996).

J.C. Tarter, “Project Phoenix:  The Australian Deployment.”  Paper #2704-04 presented at SPIE’s International Symposium OE/LASE ’96, Jan. 31 - Feb. 1, 1996, San Jose, CA.  Published in The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) in the Optical Spectrum II, Vol. 2704, S.A. Kingsley, G.A. Lemarchand, Eds.  Bellingham, WA, pp. 24-34 (1996). 

J. Billingham, E. DeVore, J.C. Tarter, D. Milne, K. O’Sullivan, and C. Stoneburner, “The Life in the Universe Series.”  Paper presented by J. Billingham at IAU Colloquium 162, London (July 8-12, 1996).

J.C. Tarter, P.R. Backus, G. Heiligman, J.W. Dreher, S. Laroque, “Studies of Radio Frequency Interference at Parkes Observatory.”  Paper #IAA-96-IAA.9.1.09 presented at 47th IAF Congress, Beijing, China (Oct. 7-11, 1996).  To be published in special issue of Acta Astronautica.

J.C. Tarter, “One Telescope is Not Enough!” article in SETI News, 2nd Quarter, Vol. 5, No. 2 (1996).

J.C. Tarter, “The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe.” Plenary Session on The Origin and Early Evolution of Life (Part I); Reflection on Science at the Dawn of the Third Millennium (Part II), Commentarii Vol. IV, N. 4, Pontificia Academia Scientiarum, Città del Vaticano, pp. 263-268 (1997).

J.C. Tarter, “Results from Project Phoenix:  Looking Up from Down Under.”  Astronomical and Biochemical Origins and the Search for Life in the Universe, C.B. Cosmovici, S. Bowyer, and D. Werthimer, eds., Editrice Compositori, Bologna, Italy, pp. 633-643 (1997).

J.C. Tarter, “Project Phoenix and Beyond.”  Pesek lecture presented at 48th IAF Congress, Turin, Italy (Oct. 6 - 10, 1997).  Acta Astronautica Vol. 41, Nos. 4-10, Elsevier Science Ltd., Great Britain, pp. 613-622 (1998).

J.C. Tarter, “SETI and the Religions of the Universe.”  Presented at the Many Worlds:  The New Universe and Its Implications for Theology Symposium.  Sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation, Nassau, The Bahamas (November 22-24, 1998).

J.C. Tarter and C.F. Chyba, “Is There Life Elsewhere in the Universe?”  Scientific American, Vol. 281, No. 6, pp. 80-85 (December 1999).

J.C. Tarter, “Small Steps Ellie, Small Steps,” article in SETI News, 3rd Quarter, Vol. 8, No. 2 (1999).

J.C. Tarter, “The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence:  Where We Are; Where We’re Headed.”  Center for Human Evolution, the Evolution of Human Intelligence.  Proceedings of Workshops No. 1 (November 12-13, 1998) and No. 2 (February 11-12, 1999).  Foundation for the Future, Bellevue, pp. 71-78 (2000).

J.C. Tarter, Y. Pendleton, E. DeVore, K. O’Sullivan, and S. Taylor, “Voyages Through Time:  Everything Evolves.”  Bioastronomy ’99:  A New Era in Bioastronomy. Proceedings of a Conference held on the Kohala Coast, Hawaii, 2-6 Aug. 1999, ASP Conference Series 213, pp. 689-694 (2000).

J.C. Tarter, “The Mother of All Radio Telescopes,” article in SETI News, 3rd Quarter, Vol. 9, No. 2 (2000).

I. Almar and J.C. Tarter, “The Discovery of ETI as a High-Consequence, Low-Probability Event,” Paper #IAA-00-IAA.9.2.01 presented at 51st IAF Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Oct. 2-6, 2000).  To be published in special issue of Acta Astronautica.

J.C. Tarter, “SETI 2020:  A Roadmap for Future SETI Observing Projects,” Proc. SPIE Vol. 4273, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) in the Optical Spectrum III, S.A. Kingsley, R. Bhathal, eds., pp. 93-103 (2001).

J.C. Tarter, “SETI: The Next Forty Years,” Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge, S. Soter and N. deGrasse Tyson, eds.  The New Press, New York, pp. 218-224 (2001).

J.C. Tarter, “The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI),” Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys, Vol. 39, pp. 511-548 (2001).

J.C. Tarter, “Foreword,” in The Search for Life in the Universe, 3rd Edition, D. Goldsmith and T. Owen, eds., University Science Books, Sausalito, CA, pp. xiii-xiv (2001).

J.C. Tarter, “What Is SETI?” Cosmic Questions, Vol. 950 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, James B. Miller, ed., New York (2001).

T.J.W. Lazio, J.C. Tarter, and P. Backus, “Megachannel Extraterrestrial Assay Candidates: No Transmissions from Intrinsically Steady Sources,” Astron. J. 124, pp. 560-564 (2002).

J.C. Tarter, J.W. Dreher, S.W. Ellingson, and W.J. Welch, “Recent Progress and Current Activities in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI),” Review of Radio Science 1999-2002, W. Ross Stone, ed., IEEE Press, Wiley & Sons, Inc. Piscataway, NJ, Chapter 36, pp. 901-931 (2002).

J.C. Tarter, “Search for Extraterrestrial Life,” Encyclopedia of Space Science and Technology, Hans Mark, ed., Wiley & Sons, Inc., Vol. 1, pp. 1-25 (2003).

J.C. Tarter, “Ongoing Debate over Cosmic Neighbors,” book review for If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens…Where Is Everybody? by Stephen Webb, Science, Vol. 299, pp. 46-47 (Jan. 3 2003).

M.C. Turnbull and J.C. Tarter, “Target Selection for SETI. I. A Catalog of Nearby Habitable Stellar Systems,”ApJS Vol. 145, pp. 181-198 (March 2003).

J.C. Tarter, “Recent Performance Testing Results Using the 3-element Production Test Array for the Allen Telescope Array,” AAS Bulletin, Vol. 35, No. 1, p. 577 (2003).

M.C. Turnbull and J.C. Tarter, “Target Selection for SETI. II. Tycho-2 Dwarfs, Old Open Clusters, and the Nearest 100 Stars,” ApJS Vol. 149, pp.423-436 (2003).

T.J.W. Lazio, J.C. Tarter, and D.J. Wilner, “The Cradle of Life,” New Astronomy Reviews 48, pp. 985-991 (2004).

J.C. Tarter, “Astrobiology and SETI,” New Astronomy Reviews 48, pp. 1543-1549 (2004).

D. DeBoer, W.J. Welch, J.C. Tarter et al., “The Allen Telescope Array,” Proc. SPIE Vol. 5489, Ground-Based Telescopes, J.M. Oschmann, ed., pp. 1021-1028 (2004).

D. DeBoer, R. Ackermann, J.C. Tarter et al., “The Allen Telescope Array,” Experimental Astronomy 17, pp. 19-34 (2004), Springer (2005).

P.R. Backus, J.C. Tarter, M.M. Davis, J.C. Jordan, T.N. Kilsdonk, G.S. Shostak, R. Ackerman, D.R. DeBoer, J.W. Dreher, G.R. Harp, J.E. Ross, and R. Stauduhar, “Galactic Plane SETI Observations with the Allen Telescope Array,” Bulletin of the AAS, 37, 1160 (2005).

J.C. Tarter, “A Different Look at M31, the Andromeda Galaxy,” February 23, 2007, http://www.seti.org/.

J.C. Tarter, P. Backus, R. Mancinelli, J. Aurnou, D. Backman, G. Basri, A. Boss, A. Clarke, D. Deming, L. Doyle, E. Feigelson, F. Freund, D. Grinspoon, R. Haberle, S. Hauck, M. Heath, T. Henry, J. Hollingsworth, M. Joshi, M. Jura, S. Kilston, G. Laughlin, M. Liu, E. Meikle, I. Reid, L Rothschild, J. Scalo, A. Segura, C. Tang, J. Tiedje, M. Turnbull, L. Walkowicz, A. Weber and R. Young, “A Reappraisal of the Habitability of Planets Around M Dwarf Stars,” Astrobiology, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 30-65 (2007).

S. Langhoff, C. Pilcher, G. Laughlin, J. Tarter and S. Shostak: “Workshop Report on the Future of Intelligence in the Cosmos,” NASA/CP-2007-214567 (December 2007).

J.C. Tarter, “The Evolution of Life in the Universe: Are We Alone?”  Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, Volume 2, Highlights of Astronomy 14, August 2006, pp 14-29.  doi: 10.1017/S1743921307009829, Published online by Cambridge University Press (December 2007).

W. Welch, J.C. Tarter, et al., “The Allen Telescope Array: The First Widefield, Panchromatic, Snapshot Radio Camera for Radio Astronomy and SETI,” Special Issue of Proceedings of the IEEE: “Advances in Radio Telescopes,” Baars, J. Thompson, R., D’Addario, L., eds., Vol. 97, No. 8, pp. 1438-1447 (August 2009).

Borucki, W.J. et al, “Kepler’s Optical Phase Curve of the Exoplanet HAT-P-7b”, Science, Volume 325, Issue 5941, pp. 709- (2009)

Borucki, W.J. et al, “Keper Planet-Detection Mission: Introduction and First Results”, Science,Volume 327, Issue 5968, pp. 977- (2010)

Koch, D.G. et al, “Kepler Mission Design, Realized Photometric Performance, and Early

Science”, ApJ Letters, Volume 713, Issue 2, pp. L79-L86 (2010)

I. Almar and J. Tarter, “The Discovery of ETI as a High-Consequence, Low-Probability Event,”Acta Astronautica 68 (2011) pp. 358-361 (2010).

G. Bower, G. et al., “The Allen Telescope Array Pi GHz Sky Survey. I. Survey Description and Static Catalog Results for the Boötes Field,” ApJ 725 (2) pp. 1792-1804 (2010).

Koch, D. G. et al, “Discovery of the Transiting Planet Kepler-5b”, ApJ Letters, Volume 713, Issue 2, pp. L131-L135 (2010)

Croft, S. et al, “The Allen Telescope Array Twenty-centimeter Survey – A 690 deg2, 12 Epoch Radio Data Set. I. Catalog and Long-duration Transient Statistics”, ApJ. Volume 719, Issue 1, pp. 45-58 (2010)

Bower, G.C. et al, “The Allen Telescope Array Pi GHz Sky Survey. I. Survey Description and Static Catalog Results for the Boötes Field”, ApJ Volume 725, Issue 2, pp. 1792-1804 (2010)

Tarter, J.C., Agrawal, A., Ackermann, R., Backus,P., Blair, S.K., Bradford, M.T., Harp, G.R., Jordan, J., Kilsdonk, T., Smolek, K.E., Richards, J., Ross, J., Shostak, G.S., Vakoch, D., “SETI turns 50: five decades of progress in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence”, Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology XIII. Edited by Hoover, Richard B.; Levin, Gilbert V.; Rozanov, Alexei Y.; Davies, Paul C. W. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 7819, pp. 781902-781902-13 (2010)

Tarter, J., Ackermann, R, Barott, W., Backus, P., Davis, M. Dreher, J., Harp, G., Jordan, J., Kilsdonk, T., Shostak, S. and Smolek, K., “The First SETI Observations With the Allen Telescope Array,” Acta Astronautica 68 (2011) pp. 340-346

Tarter, J.C., “ATA: A Cyclops for the 21st Century” in Searching for Extraterrestrial

Intelligence: SETI Past, Present, and Future (The Frontiers Collection), H. Paul Shuch (ed.), Springer; 1st Edition., pp. 131-146 (2011)

Borucki, W.J. et al, “Characteristics of Kepler Planetary Candidates Based on the First Data Set” ApJ, 728, p. 117 (2011)

Borucki, W.J. et al, “Characteristics of Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler. II.             Analysis of the First Four Months of Data”, ApJ 736, p. 19 , (2011)

Howard, A.W. et al. Planet Occurrence within 0.25 AU of Solar-type Stars from Kepler, arXiv:1103.2541 (2011)

Heldmann, J.L. “LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) Observation Campaign: Strategies, Implementation, and Lessons Learned”, Space Science Reviews, Online First, 18 March 2011

Harp, G.R., Ackermann,  R.F., Blair, S.K., Arbunich, J. , Backus, P.R., Tarter, J.C., and the ATA Team, “A New Class of SETI Beacons That Contain Information”, in Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Douglas A. Vakoch (ed.), State University of New York Press, pp. 45-70 (2011)

Tarter, J., “Getting the World Actively Involved in SETI Searches” in Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Douglas A. Vakoch (ed.), State University of New York Press, pp. 71-80, (2011)

Blair, S.K., Messerschmitt, D.G., Tarter, J.C., Harp, G.R., “The Effects of the Ionized Interstellar Medium on Broadband Signals of Extraterrestrial Origin”, in Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Douglas A. Vakoch (ed.), State University of New York Press, pp. 81-94 (2011)

Borucki, W.J. et al, “Kepler-22b: A 2.4 Earth-radius Planet in the Habitable Zone of a Sun-like Star”,  ApJ 745, p. 120,  (2012)

Harp, G.R., Ackermann, R.F., Blair, Samantha K., Arbunich, J., Backus, P.R., Tarter, J.C. and the ATA Team, “A new class of SETI Beacons that contain information”, arXiv:1211.6470 (2012)

Howard, Andrew W. et al, “Planet Occurrence within 0.25 AU of Solar-type Stars from Kepler, ApJS, Volume 201, Issue 2, article id. 15, 20 pp. (2012)

Batalha, N.M. et al, “Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler, III: Analysis of the First 16 Months of Data”, ApJS, Volume 204, Issue 2, article id. 24, 21 pp. (2013)

Siemion, A.P.V. et al, “A 1.1 GHz SETI Survey of the Kepler Field: I. A Search for Narrow-band Emission from Select Targets”, ApJ, Volume 767, Issue 1, article id. 94, 13 pp. (2013)

Tarter, Jill, “Brown Is Not a Color: Introduction of the Term ‘Brown Dwarf’”, in 50 Years of Brown Dwarfs, Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Volume 401, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland (2014)

Marcy, Geoffrey W. et al, “Masses, Radii, and Orbits of Small Kepler Planets: The Transition from Gaseous to Rocky Planets”, ApJS, Volume 210, Issue 2, article id. 20, 70 pp. (2014)

Harp, G.R. et al, “A Radio SETI Campaign for microsec-sec Periodic Signals”, arXiv:1506.00055

G. R. Harp, Jon Richards, Seth Shostak, J. C. Tarter, Douglas A. Vakoch, and Chris Munson, “Radio SETI Observations of the Anomalous Star KIC 8462852”, ApJ, Volume 825 (2016)

G. R. Harp, Jon Richards, Jill C. Tarter, John Dreher, Jane Jordan, Seth Shostak, Ken Smolek, Tom Kilsdonk, Bethany R. Wilcox, M. K. R. Wimberly, John Ross, W. C. Barott, R. F. Ackermann, and Samantha Blair, “SETI Observations of Exoplanets with the Allen Telescope Array”, AJ, Volume 152 (2016)

Wm. J. Welch, Matthew Fleming, Chris Munson, Jill Tarter, G. R. Harp, Robert Spencer, and Niklas Wadefalk, “New Cooled Feeds for the Allen Telescope Array”, PASP 129:045002 (2017)

The Center for SETI Research uses the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) and the SonATA signal processing system to observe the thousands of candidate exoplanets being found by the Kepler spacecraft, as well as the confirmed exoplanets cataloged in the Exoplanet Encyclopedia.  We are exploring the quiet terrestrial microwave window from 1 to 10 GHz, looking for deliberately broadcast signals from distant technological civilizations.  Our signal detection system has been optimized to find narrowband signals exhibiting a degree of frequency compression that is not expected from any form of natural astrophysical emitters.  For strong signals, there is limited sensitivity to broadband signals.  

The ATA currently consists of 42 6.1m antennas and is designed to grow to 350 antennas.  Because of the small size of the individual dishes, the array observes a large field of view having a FWHM = 3.5°/ (f in GHz).  We utilize three phased array beamformers to observe three objects at the same time. Although we usually observe with all three beamformers tuned to the same sky frequency, it is possible to tune two of them to one frequency and the third to another frequency within the 1-10 GHz range.  We follow up on detected candidate signals in near-real-time in order to discriminate against human-generated sources of radio frequency interference.  Thus we have poor sensitivity to transient signals whose persistence is less than a few minutes. 

The  SonATA  system is fully automated and is controlled by observing scripts.  The beamformers are calibrated (focused) over a frequency span of several hundred megahertz at least once every 24 hours.  Targets are selected for each of the beams and data are collected, and temporarily stored, from an input bandwidth of 104 MHz and filtered down to individual spectral bins ~1 Hz in width.  These stored data are analyzed by efficient signal detectors optimized for drifting continuous wave signals or drifting pulses, while new data are being collected at the next, higher frequency.  Signal paths identified as having statistically significant power levels are flagged as candidates by the detector algorithms and followed up on in the next activity cycle.  If no candidates are found, the next activity cycle analyzes the next batch of data in temporary storage and collects data at the next higher frequency.  Before classification as a candidate signal, simple tests exclude signals that have zero drift (they are internally generated and locked to the observatory frequency standard), or signals that are seen in more than one beam at the same time (they are entering the far sidelobes of the synthesized beams), or signals that are cataloged in an RFI database for the past week, as being due to interference. Any remaining candidates are scheduled for a sequence of reobservations on and off the source direction.  Candidates that are not reacquired when reobserved, or are seen when pointing off source are reclassified as interference and the automated observing script continues with the next frequency range to be observed.

There are regions of the microwave window that are heavily used for terrestrial communication services.  Sometimes the signal detectors register so many different signals at the same time that it becomes impossible to complete the process of classifying signal candidates within the time allotted to each activity cycle.  Such spectral regions are labeled ‘crowded bands’ and are subsequently ignored during observations.  In an attempt to recapture these frequency bands, we are experimenting with a citizen science application called SETI Live!.  Over time, small portions of these crowded bands are displayed to volunteers who help to identify and classify these signals, closing the feedback-loop to the SonATA detectors at the same near-real-time cadence as the software system.  The ultimate purpose of this activity is to detect an extraterrestrial signal that might otherwise have been missed among all the terrestrial signals.  If volunteers can help to recognize the transmitting source for these crowded bands, then it may eventually become possible to schedule around the interfering transmitters and regain these frequencies again.