Jill Tarter
Encyclopedia
Jill Cornell Tarter is an American astronomer
and the current director of the Center for SETI
Research, holding the Bernard M. Oliver
Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute
.
, where she earned a Bachelor of Engineering Physics Degree, and a Master's degree
and Ph.D.
in astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley.
. As a graduate student, she worked on the radio-search project SERENDIP
, and created the corresponding backronym
, "Search for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations." She was project scientist for NASA's High Resolution Microwave Survey
(HRMS) in 1992 and 1993 and subsequently director of Project Phoenix
(HRMS reconfigured) under the auspices of the SETI Institute. She was co-creator with Margaret Turnbull
of the HabCat
in 2002, a principal component of Project Phoenix. Tarter has published dozens of technical papers and lectures extensively both on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the need for proper science education. She is credited with coining the term "brown dwarf" for the classification of stars with insufficient mass to sustain hydrogen fusion.
's novel Contact
. In the film version of Contact
, the protagonist Ellie Arroway is played by Jodie Foster
. Tarter conversed with the actress for months before and during filming, and Arroway was "largely based" on Tarter's work. She has also been featured in John Boswell's Symphony of Science music video, "The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)".
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
and the current director of the Center for SETI
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
Research, holding the Bernard M. Oliver
Bernard M. Oliver
Bernard M. Oliver , aka Barney Oliver, was a scientist who made contributions in many fields, including radar, television, and computers. He was the founder and director of Hewlett Packard laboratories until his retirement in 1981. He is also a recognized pioneer in the search for...
Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute
SETI Institute
The SETI Institute is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to “explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe”. SETI stands for the "search for extraterrestrial intelligence". One program is the use of both radio and optical telescopes to search...
.
Education
Tarter received her undergraduate education at Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, where she earned a Bachelor of Engineering Physics Degree, and a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in astronomy from the University of California at Berkeley.
Astronomy career
Tarter has worked on a number of major scientific projects, most relating to the search for extraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
. As a graduate student, she worked on the radio-search project SERENDIP
SERENDIP
SERENDIP is a Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence program originated at the University of California, Berkeley....
, and created the corresponding backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
, "Search for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations." She was project scientist for NASA's High Resolution Microwave Survey
High Resolution Microwave Survey
The High Resolution Microwave Survey was a NASA project that was to scan ten million frequencies using radio telescopes. A decade in the making, the objective was to find transmissions from alien intelligences. The primary point of observation for the project was the Arecibo Ionaspheric Observatory...
(HRMS) in 1992 and 1993 and subsequently director of Project Phoenix
Project Phoenix (SETI)
Project Phoenix is a SETI project: a search for extraterrestrial intelligence by analyzing patterns in radio signals. It is run by the independently funded SETI Institute of Mountain View, California, USA....
(HRMS reconfigured) under the auspices of the SETI Institute. She was co-creator with Margaret Turnbull
Margaret Turnbull
Margaret Carol Turnbull is an American astronomer. She received her PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona in 2004. Turnbull is an authority on "Habstars," solar twins and planetary habitability....
of the HabCat
HabCat
The Catalog of Nearby Habitable Systems is a catalogue of star systems which conceivably have habitable planets. The list was developed by scientists Jill Tarter and Margaret Turnbull under the auspices of Project Phoenix, a part of SETI....
in 2002, a principal component of Project Phoenix. Tarter has published dozens of technical papers and lectures extensively both on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the need for proper science education. She is credited with coining the term "brown dwarf" for the classification of stars with insufficient mass to sustain hydrogen fusion.
Honors and Awards
Tarter's work in astrobiology and her success as a female scientist have garnered achievement awards from several scientific organizations.- Awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Women in Aerospace in 1989.
- Received two public service medals from NASA.
- Was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 2002 and a Fellow of the California Academy of SciencesCalifornia Academy of SciencesThe California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
in 2003. - Received the Adler PlanetariumAdler PlanetariumThe Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum in Chicago, Illinois was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere and is the oldest in existence today. Adler was founded and built in 1930 by the philanthropist Max Adler, with the assistance of the first director of the planetarium, Philip Fox...
Women in Space Science Award in 2003. - Was awarded the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology in 2001.
- Was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time MagazineTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
in 2004. - Received Wonderfest'sWonderfestWonderfest is a nonprofit California corporation dedicated to informal science education. Wonderfest seeks to inspire and nurture a deep sense of wonder about the world. Through provocative public discourse about science, Wonderfest aspires to stimulate curiosity, promote careful reasoning,...
Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization in 2005. - Recipient of a 2009 TED Prize.
- Elected a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
In popular culture
Tarter's astronomical work is illustrated in Carl SaganCarl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
's novel Contact
Contact (novel)
Contact is a science fiction novel written by Carl Sagan and published in 1985. It deals with the theme of contact between humanity and a more technologically advanced, extraterrestrial life form. It ranked No. 7 on the 1985 U.S. bestseller list....
. In the film version of Contact
Contact (film)
Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
, the protagonist Ellie Arroway is played by Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
. Tarter conversed with the actress for months before and during filming, and Arroway was "largely based" on Tarter's work. She has also been featured in John Boswell's Symphony of Science music video, "The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)".
External links
- Lecture about long-term SETI strategies presented to the Long Now FoundationLong Now FoundationThe Long Now Foundation, established in 1996, is a private organization that seeks to become the seed of a very long-term cultural institution. It aims to provide a counterpoint to what it views as today's "faster/cheaper" mindset and to promote "slower/better" thinking...
(Ogg Vorbis format). - Finding intelligent life with telescopes and computers, podcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
2008. - Talk entitled "Why the search for alien intelligence matters", presented at the TED2009 conference
- Interview posted at the TED Blog
- A brief bio
- Profile of Jill Tarter, in COSMOS magazine