[CS] Science & Religion Lecture April 12. Astrobiology, Life & Planetary Protection: Implications on Earth and Beyond, by Margaret S. Race. 5; 30 p.m. in MLH.

[Paula Harmon]

TITLE: Astrobiology, Life & Planetary Protection:  Implications on Earth 
and Beyond

SPEAKER: Margaret S. Race, SETI Institute, Mountain View, California 
http://www.seti.org/

DATE: Thursday, April 12th at 5:30pm in Mail Lecture Hall

Abstract:
For centuries, humans have gazed at the heavens and wondered whether we 
are alone. Only in the past 5 decades have we been able to use science 
and technology to search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. As 
astrobiologists seek to learn more about the origin, evolution, 
distribution and fate of life on Earth and beyond, we also confront an 
array of challenging questions about the nature of life and its long 
term sustainability. Practically, this means that the development of 
guidelines for responsible exploration and planetary protection now 
requires a truly interdisciplinary approach, combining advances in 
science and technology with input from ethical, legal, and societal 
perspectives. Coincidentally, these deliberations about space 
exploration and the search for ET life also bring an interesting 
perspective to current debates about emerging technologies  and 
scientific progress  here on Earth.

Biographical Statement:
Margaret Race is Senior Research Scientist at the SETI Institute. 
http://www.seti.org/ Her work focuses on the scientific, technical, 
legal and societal issues of ensuring that missions to Mars and other 
solar system bodies do not either inadvertently bring terrestrial 
microbes along, which would complicate our search for indigenous 
extraterrestrial life, or return any microbes to Earth. Her interest in 
extraterrestrial organisms is linked closely to her long term ecological 
research on exotic and invasive species. She is also actively involved 
in education and public outreach about astrobiology. Since her early 
work with the Environmental Protection Agency as a Public Information 
Specialist, and her tenure at San Francisco television station KQED, Dr. 
Race has had a strong interest in the communication of science via the 
mass media. She especially likes to work with journalists and educators 
as they develop materials about complex, controversial issues in space 
exploration and environmental protection. Her enthusiasm is infectious, 
and her work ensures that our spacecraft won't be.

-- 
Paula Harmon, Administrative Assistant
School of Cognitive Science
Hampshire College
893 West Street Amherst, MA 01002
phone: 413.559.5502
fax: 413.559.5438
http://cs.hampshire.edu
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