KINGSTON, R.I.- November 10, 2017-Sara Seager, one of聽罢颈尘别听magazine鈥檚 25聽Most聽Influential People in Space, will present a lecture titled, 鈥�The Search for Another Earth,鈥� as part of this year鈥檚 Honors Colloquium at the 溏心vlog免费B站. The lecture will be held on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. in Edwards Hall, 64 Upper College Road.
Seager is a professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a 2013 MacArthur Fellow. The MacArthur Fellowship Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.
The focus of Seager鈥檚 research revolves around theory, computation, and data analysis of exoplanets. Exoplanets are planets that exist beyond our solar system and orbit around stars other than the sun. Some of her most substantial contributions to the field of exoplanet characterization include work that led to the first detection of an exoplanet atmosphere. Seager also works in space instrumentation and space missions for exoplanets.
Referred to by NASA as an 鈥渁stronomical Indiana Jones,鈥� Seager has published two textbooks on the topics of extrasolar planets and their atmospheres. Seager earned her bachelor’s degree from the Math and Science Physics Specialist Program at the University of Toronto and her Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University.
In addition to studying exoplanets and their atmospheres, Seager is frontiering advanced hardware design and space mission projects, including ExoplanetSat. This particular endeavor aims to build low-cost 鈥渘ano-satellites鈥� to observe planetary transits. Essentially, the concept involves dozens of cheap replicas of an extremely small space telescope that will provide the ability to explore space in ways like never before.
The ultimate goal of Seager鈥檚 research is to find an earth-like exoplanet and determine that there is life on it. In order for life to be sustainable on an exoplanet, it would have to be one of reasonable mass that orbits its star within a comfortable temperature that is not too hot or too cold and would allow water to remain liquid.
Titled, 鈥淥rigins: Life, the Universe and Everything,鈥� this fall鈥檚 colloquium addresses such questions as 鈥淲here did we come from? How did the universe begin? How did intelligent, rational beings arise? And from such humble beginnings, how did we develop a mind that can ask these big questions? Now in its 54th year, the colloquium is the University鈥檚 premier public lecture series, offering lectures on most Tuesday evenings through Dec. 5. Seager鈥檚 lecture will be shown on the web at stream.uri.edu
Sponsors: Honors Program 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Office of the President 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Office of the Provost 鈥� 125th Anniversary Steering Committee 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Foundation 鈥� The Mark and Donna Ross Honors Colloquium Humanities Endowment 鈥� The Thomas Silvia and Shannon Chandley Honors Colloquium Endowment 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Arts & Sciences 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Pharmacy 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 John Hazen White Sr. Center for Ethics and Public Service 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Gender and Women鈥檚 Studies Program 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Office of Community, Equity and Diversity 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Engineering 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 College of the Environment and Life Sciences 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Health Sciences 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Business Administration 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Nursing 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Division of Student Affairs 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Department of Communications and Marketing 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Department of Publications and Creative Services 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 ITS Instructional Technology and Media Services 鈥� 溏心vlog免费B站 Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies 鈥� George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience.
Olivia Ross, an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at 溏心vlog免费B站 and public relations major, wrote this press release.