Seager to Deliver Sturm Memorial Lecture April 29 on “Search for Earth 2.0”

Sara Seager, Class of 1941 Professor of Planetary Science and Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will deliver the Sturm Memorial Lecture at 8 p.m. on April 29. She will speak in CFA Hall on “The Search for Earth 2.0.”

Seager is a pioneer in the field of exoplanets, specifically in characterizing the atmospheres and searching for life on those distant worlds. Her talk will address the age-old question: “Are we alone?”

According to the talk description, “Astronomers have now ascertained, statistically speaking, that every star in our Milky Way Galaxy should have at least one planet. Now for the first time in human history, current technology puts us on the verge of being able to search for planets like Earth that may have suitable conditions for life.” Seager will “describe the science and technology behind the search for Earth 2.0. Her groundbreaking research ranges from the detection of exoplanet atmospheres to innovative theories about life on other worlds to development of novel space mission concepts.”

The talk is sponsored by the Astronomy Department, the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, the Baldwin Lecture Fund, and the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium.