On August 7, 2004, several of the world’s foremost SETI (Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scientists will participate in a public
symposium at Harvard University sponsored by The Planetary Society.
Presentations at “ET, Where Are You?” will range from what we have learned
so far to what’s next in searching for life – and intelligence – elsewhere
in the universe.

Participants include Frank Drake, creator of the Drake Equation for
estimating the number of intelligent civilizations that might exist in our
galaxy; Paul Horowitz, who leads The Planetary Society-sponsored optical
SETI program out of Harvard University; Dan Werthimer, project scientist for
the world renowned SETI@home project, with more than 5 million participants
worldwide; and Geoffrey Marcy, an avid hunter (and finder) of extrasolar
planets, who will announce some newly discovered worlds at the symposium.

“For millennia, humans have wondered whether or not we are alone in the
universe,” said Bruce Betts, Director of Projects for The Planetary Society,
“but only during the last few decades have we been able to actively search
for other beings on other worlds. This symposium gives members of the
public the rare chance to meet and learn from the scientists conducting the
search.”

All participants must be registered in advance (except for press). Over 150
participants are scheduled to attend.

Media are invited — just present press credentials. The symposium will be
held Saturday, August 7, 2004, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Harvard University
in Science Center Hall C, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA. For more
information, call the Society at 626-793-5100 or visit the Society’s
website at http://planetary.org/setisymposium2004.html.

These scientists will also gather with other researchers for a Planetary
Society hosted professional workshop on Friday, August 6 entitled, “The
Significance of Negative SETI Results.”

Symposium Speakers:

  • Kent Cullers, Director of SETI Research and Development at the SETI Institute
  • Frank Drake, Chairman Emeritus of the SETI Institute;
  • Paul Horowitz, professor at Harvard University, who heads the world’s longest continuous SETI search;
  • Guillermo Lemarchand, professor at the University of Buenos Aires and head of The Planetary Society’s META II program in Argentina;
  • Geoffrey Marcy, professor at the University of California at Berkeley;
  • Tom McDonough, SETI coordinator for The Planetary Society and science fiction author;
  • Woodruff Sullivan, professor at the University of Washington’s Center for Astrobiology and Early Evolution;
  • Dan Werthimer, professor at the University of California at Berkeley and project scientist for SETI@home.

Moderators:

  • Bruce Betts, Director of Projects for The Planetary Society
  • Bruce Murray, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of The Planetary Society

THE PLANETARY SOCIETY:

Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded The Planetary Society in
1980 to advance the exploration of the solar system and to continue the
search for extraterrestrial life. With members in over 125 countries, the
Society is the largest space interest group in the world.

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