Renowned Scientist to Give a Talk on Intelligent Life in the Universe at Foothill College

LOS ALTOS, CA -- Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15, UC Berkeley scientist Dan Werthimer will give a free, illustrated, non-technical talk titled “Is Anyone Out There Among the Stars: The Hundred-Million Dollar Breakthrough Listen Project," in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College in Los Altos.

The talk is part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, now in its 17th year.

What is the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe? Can we detect radio, infrared, or light signals from alien civilizations? Current and future projects searching for such signals, including the new $100-million Breakthrough Prize Foundation Listen project, may provide an answer.

Werthimer will describe the plans for future searches and show how new technologies are revolutionizing the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI). He will also describe the SETI@home project, which analyzes data from the world's largest radio telescope using desktop computers and cell phones from millions of volunteers, forming one of Earth's most powerful supercomputers.

Werthimer is the chief scientist at the Berkeley SETI Research Center, overseeing SETI@home, the $100 million Breakthrough Listen project, and several other SETI programs. He also directs the Center for Astronomy Signal Processing and Electronics Research (CASPER) and is associate director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center (BWRC). He has been Associate Professor in the engineering and physics departments of SF State University and a visiting professor at Beijing Normal University, the University of St. Charles in Marseille, and Eotvos University in Budapest. He has taught at universities in Peru, Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Kenya. Few people know that he was in the “homebrew computer club” with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

Foothill College is just off the El Monte Road exit from Freeway 280 in Los Altos. For directions and parking information, see foothill.edu/news/transportation.php. A campus map is available at foothill.edu/news/maps.php

The lecture is co-sponsored by the SETI Institute, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, NASA Ames Research Center and the Foothill College Astronomy Program.

Attendees may want to arrive a little early to find parking. The lecture is free, but there is a charge of $3 for parking on campus and exact change is appreciated.

Past lectures in the series can be found on YouTube at www.youtube.com/SVAstronomyLec...

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