All NewsSnapshots“Are We Alone?” Topic of Astronomy’s Sturm Lecture Olivia DrakeApril 21, 20103minOn April 13, astronomer Jill Tarter will discussed "Are We Alone?" as the 2010 Sturm Memorial Lecturer. Tarter is director of the SETI Institute’s Center for SETI Research. In 2004 Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2006 Tarter became a National Advisory Board member for the Center for Inquiry’s Office of Public Policy in Washington, DC. Tarter was one of three Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Prize winners in 2009. Many people are now familiar with her work as portrayed by Jodie Foster in the movie 'Contact.' The Sturm Memorial Lecture is named in memory of Wesleyan alumnus Kenneth E. Sturm. The annual lecture features a presentation from an astronomer that is outstanding in their field and able to communicate the excitement of science to a lay audience. Tarter's talk filled Daniel Family Commons. (Photos by Emily Brackman '11) Astronomy DepartmentSturm Memorial Lecture Related Articles All NewsArts & HumanitiesFaculty December 2, 2024 Andrew Chatfield Anna Deavere Smith Hon. ’97 Starts Yearlong Artist Residency with Staged Reading of New Work All NewsArts & HumanitiesCampus News & Events November 20, 2024 Mike Mavredakis Celebrated Filmmakers, Producers Share Insight into Black Cinema at Shasha Seminar All NewsArts & HumanitiesFaculty November 20, 2024 Ziba Kashef Narratives of Fear: An Anthropologist’s Research with Asylum Seekers