More than 2000 years ago the question whether we are alone in the universe was first asked. And we live in the time, where – for the first time in history – we have the tools to answer it. Together Lisa Kaltenegger and Rocco Mancinelli will explore the newest discoveries, surprises, and challenges of our understanding of life in the universe.
Lisa Kaltenegger’s research focuses on how to scouts newly discovered planets outside our solar system, so-called exoplanets, for signs of life. Her Computer models combine data from remote planets with geographical and atmospheric data from Earth to determine how to spot signs of a biosphere on different kind of planets. It generates a “fingerprint of light” for a planet, which could potentially harbor different kinds of life forms.
Rocco Mancinelli’s view complements the look to the stars with an in-depth-look at life on Earth. He conducted research on microbial ecology from the heights of the Andes to the salt flats of Baja. He has flown experiments on multiple space flight missions to gain deep insights into life on the earth and its potential beyond earth.
Besides inspiring a new era of astronomic discovery the search for life in the universe will also give us the opportunity to learn about the evolution of the earth, and perhaps give us even first “glimpse into our future”.
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Lisa KALTENEGGER
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Director, Carl Sagan Institute; Associated Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY | |
Chair | |
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Rocco MANCINELLI
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Senior Research Scientist, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute; NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA | |
Chair | |
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Director, Carl Sagan Institute; Associated Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| 2000-2001 | Research Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA |
| 2001-2002 | Young Engineer Fellowship, ESA - European Space Agency, Netherlands |
| 2003-2004 | Consultant to ESA - Science Department via AURORA Technology, Netherlands |
| 2005-2009 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| 2008-2013 | Lecturer, Astronomy Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| 2009-2010 | Research Associate, Astronomy Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| 2010-2014 | Research Associate, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| Lecturer, Astronomy Department, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg |
| Research Group Leader, Max Planck Institute, Heidelberg |
| | Since 2014 Associate Professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY |
| | Since 2014 Founding Director, Carl Sagan Institute: Pale Blue Dot and Beyond, Ithaca, NY |
Senior Research Scientist, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute; NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
| 1975 | BA, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, CO |
| 1977 | MA, Department of Environmental, Population & Organismic Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, CO |
| 1982 | PhD, Department of Environmental, Population & Organismic Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, CO |
| 1983-1984 | Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Washburn University, Topeka, KS |
| 1984-1986 | National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Fellow, NASA's Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA |
| 1987-1997 | Principal Investigator, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA |
| 1997-2009 | Senior Research Scientist, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA |
| since 2009 | Senior Research Scientist, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute; NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA |
| since 2015 | Adjunct Professor Dept. Microbiology & Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA |
