SETI Institute

The SETI Institute is a non-profit corporation that serves as an institutional home for research and educational projects related to the study of life in the universe. The Institute’s interests include astronomy and planetary sciences, the origins of life, as well as chemical, biological, and cultural evolution. Historically, Institute projects have been funded by the NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Headquarters, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the US Geological Survey, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the International Astronomical Union, Argonne National Laboratory, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Foundation, the Moore Family Foundation, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), the Pacific Science Center, the Foundation for Microbiology, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard Company, the William K. Bowes Jr. Foundation, and other industry corporations or funds. Its many private donors have included William and Rosemary Hewlett, Bernard M. Oliver, Paul Allen, Franklin Antonio, and thousands of other private donors. The Institute welcomes support from private foundations or other groups or individuals interested in our work. Each funded effort is supervised by a principal investigator who is responsible to the Board of Trustees for the conduct of the activity. There are currently many active projects, involving approximately a hundred scientists, studying Mars, Pluto, and other bodies in the solar system, as well as exoplanets, exobiology and related topics. In addition, the Institute’s SETI efforts include searches for extraterrestrial intelligence on its own Allen Telescope Array. Among the Institute’s education and outreach activities are both formal and informal education – including a comprehensive web site, frequent talks by our scientists, a weekly colloquium open to the public, short interviews with our scientists on social media, a vigorous artist-in-residence program, articles printed both by the Institute and in national media, and a weekly, one-hour radio program on science (“Big Picture Science”) now carried by more than 140 broadcast stations.

The Institute has suites of activities in three are: (1) Astrobiology, the efforts to find and understand the prevalence of life in general (for example, microbial life under the parched landscapes of Mars or the icy crust of the Jovian moon Europa); (2) SETI, experiments designed to detect radio or light signals that would reveal the presence of technically sophisticated beings; and (3) Education and outreach projects that (a) inform the public about our research, (b) encourage young people to become more proficient in science, (c) improve science literacy by explaining the methods of science, and (d) train teachers in STEAM subject areas. The Institute’s research activities are sometimes referenced to the Drake Equation (see below), which nicely lays out those subject areas that are germane to the question of extraterrestrial life’s prevalence and characteristics.

This renowned formulation (sometimes called the second-most famous equation in science, after Einstein’s E=mc2) was devised by astronomer Frank Drake in 1961 as the agenda for a meeting held in Green Bank, West Virginia to discuss the possibility of searching for signals from extraterrestrial intelligence. The equation defines N, the number of transmitting civilizations in our galaxy, as the product of seven factors, as follows: N=R* fp ne fl fi fc L Where R* = the birth rate of stars in our galaxy, number per year fp = the fraction of stars with planets ne = the number of planets per solar system that are suitable for life fl = the fraction of such planets that actually spawn life fi = the fraction of planets with life that evolve intelligent life fc = the fraction of planets with intelligent life that produce technologically capable life L = the average lifetime (in years) of a technological society While the first three terms of the equation have been successfully investigated by astronomers and are to some extent known, values for the last four are still speculative. The 1961 Green Bank meeting did not publish any numerical values for the terms of the Drake Equation, although Drake himself estimates that N might be on the order of 10,000. Astronomer Carl Sagan was more optimistic, and said that N could be a million or more. Other people have been less sanguine, and suggest that N might only be 1 – in other words, we might be the only technically sophisticated society in the galaxy. Until we find evidence for life beyond Earth, many of the terms in the Drake Equation remain unknown.

Not often. There isn’t actually that much to see. The Allen Telescope Array is 350 miles to the north of our headquarters in Mountain View, California. Our office space, some small labs, and our radio studio are located in our headquarters building. However, tours are available by arrangement. Contact the Institute. Announcements of weekly science lectures and publications, radio show topics, and appearances by SETI Institute personnel can be found elsewhere on this site.

The Institute employs scientists, engineers, administrators, technicians, public outreach specialists, educators, and support staff such as IT professionals.

Email us at info@seti.org

Most SETI researchers and engineers have advanced degrees in astronomy, biology, geology, planetary science, etc. We also have employees who have studied electrical engineering, computer science, and education-related disciplines.

Most of the scientists working at the Institute are self-funded. That is to say, they propose research projects to organizations such as NASA and the National Science Foundation and, if awarded monies, elect to become part of the Institute. Projects must fall within the research and education arenas of the Institute – broadly speaking, the question of life’s origins and its distribution. Other job opportunities, such as for software development or other tasks, are advertised on the Institute’s website, www.seti.org.