Jump to content

User:Johndhs/Jill Tarter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This page has been removed from search engines' indexes.


Jill Tarter
Tarter at TED. Photograph by Steve Jurvetson.
Born (1944-01-16) January 16, 1944 (age 80)
NationalityUnited States
Alma materUniversity of California at Berkeley
Cornell University
OccupationAstronomer

Jill Cornell Tarter (born January 16, 1944) is an American astronomer and the outgoing director of the Center for SETI Research, holding the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute.[1][2][3]

Education

[edit]

Tarter received her undergraduate education at Cornell University, where she earned a Bachelor of Engineering Physics Degree, and a Master's degree and PhD in astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley.[4]

Astronomy career

[edit]

Tarter has worked on a number of major scientific projects, most relating to the search for extraterrestrial life. As a graduate student, she worked on the radio-search project SERENDIP, and created the corresponding backronym, "Search for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations." She was project scientist for NASA's High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS) in 1992 and 1993 and subsequently director of Project Phoenix (HRMS reconfigured) under the auspices of the SETI Institute. She was co-creator with Margaret Turnbull of the HabCat in 2002, a principal component of Project Phoenix. Tarter has published dozens of technical papers and lectures extensively both on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the need for proper science education. She is credited with coining the term "brown dwarf" for the classification of stars with insufficient mass to sustain hydrogen fusion.[5] She has spent 35 years in the quest for extraterrestrial life and announced her retirement in 2012.[3]

Honors and awards

[edit]

Tarter's work in astrobiology and her success as a female scientist have garnered achievement awards from several scientific organizations.

[edit]

Tarter's astronomical work is illustrated in Carl Sagan's novel Contact. In the film version of Contact, the protagonist Ellie Arroway is played by Jodie Foster. Tarter conversed with the actress for months before and during filming, and Arroway was "largely based" on Tarter's work.[4] She has also been featured in John Boswell's Symphony of Science music video, "The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)".[12]

On October 20, 2006, Tarter appeared on the Point of Inquiry podcast to discuss the question: "Are we alone?". Tarter stated "Humans will have a different view about being human if and when we know the answer to the 'Are we alone?' question"[13]

In May 2013, the Science Laureates of the United States Act of 2013 (H.R. 1891; 113th Congress) was introduced into Congress. Jill Tarter was listed by one commentator as a possible nominee for the position of Science Laureate, if the act were to pass.[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ SETI Institute Official Website – Jill Tarter biography
  2. ^ Overbye, Dennis (June 18, 2012). "A Career Waiting for E.T. to Phone". New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Alien hunter retires after 35-year quest for E.T." Fox News. May 22, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Space.com: "Dr. Jill Tarter: Looking to Make 'Contact'". Retrieved October 27, 2008.[dead link]
  5. ^ Brown dwarf – History Retrieved September 24, 2010
  6. ^ CNN: "Scientist probes outer space for aliens". CNN. April 19, 2004. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  7. ^ "Past Honorees". Telluride Tech Festival. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  8. ^ TIME Magazine: "TIME 100: Jill Tarter". Time. April 26, 2004. Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  9. ^ "Sagan Prize Recipients". wonderfest.org. 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  10. ^ "TED Prizes Go From Deep Sea to Deep Space". Retrieved October 27, 2008.
  11. ^ "CSI Fellows and Staff". Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  12. ^ John Boswell (melodysheep), "The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)", February 25, 2010.
  13. ^ Grothe, D.J. "Are we Alone?". Point of Inquiry. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  14. ^ Marlow, Jeffrey (May 9, 2013). "The Science Laureate of the United States". Wired Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
[edit]


Category:1944 births Category:American astronomers Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Living people Category:Women astronomers Category:Search for extraterrestrial intelligence Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:American skeptics Category:Fellows of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry