SETI Forward

This prestigious award acknowledges exceptional undergraduates engaged in research on astrobiology and/or SETI technosignatures. SETI Forward offers scholarship funds to support the future generation of scientists while facilitating connections between talented students and active researchers. Since 2019, the SETI Institute has been presenting the SETI Forward Award to undergraduate student interns in collaboration with the UC Berkeley SETI Research Center.

If your organization and qualified undergraduate student interns are involved in research pursuing extraterrestrial life, we cordially invite your students to apply for the 2025 SETI Forward award. The scope of the search for life encompasses various fields, such as biological research on the origins of life, astrobiology (including biosignatures and/or technosignatures), and related studies.

SETI Forward aims to bridge the gap between these internships and jobs in SETI and astrobiology research by providing $1500 per award. This can cover:

Travel stipends to facilitate collaboration on SETI research or to present at scientific conferences
Provide undergraduate student scholarships to organizations engaged in SETI and astrobiology research

2025 Recipients

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Maria Calderon-Marrero

Life at the Extremes

Maria studies microbial communities in the extreme hydrothermal environments of El Tatio geysers. She developed culturing strategies for thermophiles, trained in hydrothermal sampling, collected water and microbial mat samples in the field, and assisted with in situ DNA sequencing. She is now culturing samples and preparing for DNA sequencing to compare communities across geyser systems. Her work explores how life adapts to extreme conditions and how biosignatures are preserved, informing the search for life in similar environments beyond Earth.

“Astrobiology is a field I’ve wanted to pursue since childhood, so I’m incredibly grateful to the SETI committee and my mentor, Dr. Carolina Muñoz-Saez, for their support and belief in me as a researcher,” said Calderon-Marrero. “I’m fascinated by how extremophiles push the boundaries of what we consider life and what they may reveal about life beyond Earth.”

Matti Weiss

What's Actually Out There?

Matti’s research focused on beam by-catch in SETI observations, quantifying stellar populations within a radio telescope’s field of view. At Breakthrough Listen, they developed BEAMSETI, a Python tool that integrates Gaia DR3 and NED with population models. They resolved a key issue by replacing a linearized redshift with a proper luminosity-distance calculation, enabling the detection of distant sources. They also applied adaptive redshift clustering to avoid over-counting galaxies. This approach improves estimates of survey completeness and sensitivity, and provides the SETI community with tools to better constrain the prevalence of extraterrestrial transmitters.

“I believe the most challenging experiences are often the most rewarding,” said Weiss.

Champions

SETI Institute Trustee and long-time supporter Dane Glasgow partnered with Berkeley SETI Research Center leadership and loyal supporter Lew Levy to establish SETI Forward. Lew conceived of the idea through his involvement at Berkeley SETI and found enthusiastic support in Dane and the SETI Institute Board of Trustees.

Dane Glasgow

Vice President of Entertainment at Meta and formerly Vice President of Google, co-founder, and CEO of Neoglyphic Entertainment, Vice President of Global Product Management at eBay, Director of Program Management at Microsoft Live Search, General Manager for the Windows Live Portal & Information Services Client team, President of Jump.com, and Vice President of the Ithaca Division of Meetinghouse Technologies.

Lew Levy

Long-time supporter of the SETI Institute and member of the SETI Institute’s Council of Advisors. In 2018, he established what would become the SETI Forward Endowed Fund to encourage and support undergraduates entering the SETI field. Lew’s interest in SETI stems from a desire to answer the question, “Are we alone?” and he hopes humanity discovers biology outside of Earth during his lifetime.

He is also a supporter of the University of California Berkeley’s SETI Research Center and is a long-standing member of The Planetary Society. He earned his BS in Information Technology and Accounting from the University of Baltimore and has had a successful 40-year software development career. He is an avid fan of Star Trek, which combines his affinity for technology and SETI.

News & Events

SETI Forward

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May 13, 2026

SETI Institute to Honor Dr. Matthew Tiscareno with 2026 Carl Sagan Center Director’s Award

The Drake Awards event will also recognize SETI Forward and SETI Institute REU student award recipients. #Press Releases #Drake Awards #Frank Drake #SETI #Awards #Planetary Astronomy #Astrobiology #SETI Forward #Education #Carl Sagan Center #Matthew Tiscareno #Nathalie Cabrol #REU

Aug 11, 2025

SETI Institute Opens Applications for the 2025 SETI Forward Award

#SETI Forward #Education #SETI Institute #Community #Research #SETI #Awards

Jun 9, 2025

Drake Awards Celebrate the Search for Life Beyond Earth

#Drake Awards #Awards #Drake Equation #Frank Drake #Carl Sagan Center #SETI Forward #REU #SETI Institute #Community

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