College of Science, Health & the Environment
Searching for Life in the Universe

Searching for Life in the Universe

Featuring Dr. Terry Oswalt, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Thursday, May 2 | 7 p.m. | Langseth Hall 104

Minnesota State University Moorhead will host American Astronomical Society Shapley Lecturer, Dr. Terry Oswalt from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, for a free public talk on “Searching for Life in the Universe: Where is Everyone?” at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2 in Langseth Hall 104.  

Several thousand planets outside the solar system are already known. How many of these other worlds might be home to simple living organisms? Have any developed intelligent life? If intelligence is common in the universe, why hasn’t contact been made after decades of searching? Within the next decade, astronomers will have the capability to directly search for evidence of unintelligent life on planets around nearby stars. In this talk, Oswalt will explore some of the factors that determine whether we are alone in the universe and what hope astronomers might have for answering that question.   

This talk is supported by the American Astronomical Society.