2018 has been a whirlwind at the SETI Institute already. SETI Institute researchers published in 49 peer-reviewed scientific journals (including Astrobiology, The Astrophysical Journal, Nature Astronomy, and Icarus), contributed 78 conference proceedings and abstracts, and participated in 52 public talks, interviews, and media stories.

The SETI Institute also hosted the Decoding Alien Intelligence workshop, which brought together more than 50 researchers with diverse scientific backgrounds but all engaged in the search for extraterrestrial life and technology. In addition to those directly engaged with SETI research, speakers included experts in astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology, planetary and space exploration, anthropology, neurosciences, artificial intelligence and machine learning, animal intelligence, and more. This workshop has set the stage for the SETI Institute to develop a new roadmap for SETI which will both broaden and support the existing search. SETI Institute presenters included Frank Drake, Jill Tarter, Seth Shostak, and Laurance Doyle. All presentations were filmed and will be released beginning this month.

The January – March Activity Report details all this work as well as other achievements including:

• John Rummel was appointed to the Senior Editorial Board of Astrobiology
• Margaret Race was the recipient of NASA JSC Director’s Innovation Group Achievement Award as a member of the Human Forward Contamination Research Team “For innovative contribution to understanding potential human forward contamination issues as NASA prepares to send humans to explore other worlds”
• Dale Andersen’s field research with his team at Lake Untersee, Antarctica, was featured in the Japanese documentary “Antarctica, a Time Capsule Under the Ice”
• Janice Bishop’s article about clay formation on early Mars was featured on the cover of Nature Astronomy
• Rosalba Bonaccorsi helped organize the 2018 MarsFest in Death Valley which hosted more than 3,000 visitors
• Dana Backman, Coral Clark, and Pamela Harman took part in the Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors exhibit at the National Science Teachers’ Association conference
• Mark Showalter led the Frontier Worlds campaign to nickname New Horizons’ next flyby target, MU69, now known as Ultima Thule
• Nathalie Cabrol was featured in the NY Times Magazine in an article that focused on her field work in the high Andes of Chile, the scientific questions that drive her work, and the personal and professional challenges Nathalie has faced on her journey

The SETI Institute is committed to sharing our work, discoveries and passion. Learn more about our recent activities in the SETI Institute Activity Report January – March 2018