SETI Institute

The SETI Observer

August 2004
In this Edition  

Dear SETI Enthusiast,

In late July, the SETI Institute relocated its offices to 515 N. Whisman Road in Mountain View, a few miles from our previous home.

There were several good reasons to undertake this move. To begin with, the Institute could take advantage of a market in which rents were low, while simultaneously securing a great deal more space. We now have areas that can be converted into wet labs for our Life in the Universe researchers, several large meeting rooms for education and public outreach, and fresh offices that can be made available to our growing astrobiology research staff.

In addition, and of great importance, we now have the bulk of our scientists and engineers at one site, in one building.   Just as universities construct college campuses to encourage interaction between faculty and students, so too will the proximity afforded by this new facility stimulate the easy exchange of ideas among researchers, staff, and visitors.   The Whisman site is also adjacent to Ames Research Center and its associated Research Park, a circumstance that will surely increase our contact with NASA colleagues.

Our new offices are still being set up, and there are many opportunities for donors who would like to have their name attached to a lab, an education room, or a research instrument.

You can still reach us via the same phone numbers and e-mail addresses as before. Elsewhere in this publication you'll read about our Ice Cream Social, to be held on September 19.

Thomas Pierson
CEO, SETI Institute

button Voices featuring Dr. Laurance Doyle
 

Dr. Laurance Doyle compares dolphin whistles with baby babble in order to make predictions on extraterrestrial communications. He believes that by measuring the complexity of communications for different species on earth, we can get a good indication of how advanced an extraterrestrial signal is, and where humans can be found on that scale. But he doesn’t just want to stop there…
Read more at http://www.seti.org/about_us/voices/doyle.php

button New Building, Same Great Science
 

Since 1989, the SETI Institute has been located at 2035 Landings Drive; we have now moved into more comfortable surroundings and a building of our own. Located at 515 N. Whisman in beautiful Mountain View, California we invite you to take a look at our new home. See pictures of our new building at http://www.seti.org/announcements/ourfacility.htm

button I, Robot (movie review)
 

Seth Shostak reviews the new Science Fiction Thriller “I, Robot” and reveals the movie (adapted from an Issac Asimov novel) is more than just a futuristic action flick. It’s also a look at the, “sociology of fictional, hi-tech companions, dealing with such wrenching problems as whether androids can have emotions or a soul.” Read Seth's review at http://publish.seti.org/general/articles.php?id=182

button Astrobiology Summer Science Experience for Teachers
 

During the week of August 2-7, the SETI Institute is proudly hosting the Astrobiology Summer Science Experience for Teachers (ASSET) program. Twenty teachers have been selected from all over the country to attend this week-long program to expand their knowledge about the Institute's Voyages Through Time (VTT) curriculum. These 20 teachers will share their new knowledge with fellow teachers as well as their students back home. Read our FAQ for your answered questions about this unique program: http://www.seti.org/epo/asset_faq.php

button SETI Institute on CNN
  CNN's Space Correspondent Miles O'Brien, will interview the SETI Institute's Dr. Jill Tarter, Dr. Chris Chyba and Dr. Frank Drake this coming Sunday, August 8th at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (ET) on CNN/US, as part of a new CNN Presents special, “Is Anybody Out There? The Search for Life in the Universe.” The SETI Institute scientists were videotaped at Arecibo Observatory, on the island of Puerto Rico, on the last observation run for the SETI Institute's Project Phoenix. For more information visit http://www.seti.org/announcements/cnn_presents.htm

button Seth Shostak Receives Klumpke-Roberts Award
 

This past month Dr. Seth Shostak was the recipient of the prestigious Klumpke-Roberts award given by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for his outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy. Read all about Seth’s work at http://www.seti.org/about_us/announcements/klumpke-roberts_award_04.htm

button SETI Challenge
  Be one of the first five to answer the following question correctly and get a cool SETI Institute T-shirt. We'll post the answer in next month's e-newsletter. Choose the phrase that best completes this statement and send your answer to newsletter@seti.org.

The Klumpke-Roberts Award recognizes:

  1. Innovative astrobiology research.
  2. Outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
  3. Outstanding achievement in mathematics and physics.
  4. Innovative thinking in the field of pumpkin carving.

button Previous Challenge
 

In the May Challenge, we asked you to choose the phrase that best completed this sentence:

What is a Zipf plot?

  1. A graph of shipping noise in Glacier Bay, Alaska.
  2. A statistical tool that can be used to study non-human communication. An international conspiracy.
  3. A common method of identifying individual dolphin and whales.
  4. An International conspiracy.

The correct answer was: B

Watch for another thought-provoking question in next month's e-newsletter.

Copyright © 2004, SETI Institute
515 N. Whisman Road - Mountain View, California 94043
Tel: (650) 961-6633 - Fax: (650) 961-7099

Email:newsletter@seti.org

*SETI Challenge
All individuals are eligible to win except for the following

1) SETI Institute staff members and immediate family members of SETI Institute staff

2) Individuals who have previously submitted a winning entry within a period of 12 months from the date of the current contest.