Cosmophobia: Doomsday 2012 and Other Fiction Science
From SETICon II, June 22-24 2012
Panelists:
Seth
Shostak - Seth claims to have developed an interest in extraterrestrial
life at the tender age of ten, when he first picked up a book about the
solar system. This innocent beginning eventually led to a degree in
radio astronomy, and now, as Senior Astronomer, Seth is an enthusiastic
participant in the Institute’s SETI observing programs. He also heads up
the International Academy of Astronautics’ SETI Permanent Committee. In
addition, Seth is keen on outreach activities: interesting the public –
and especially young people – in science in general, and astrobiology
in particular. He’s co-authored a college textbook on astrobiology, and
has written three trade books on SETI. In addition, he’s published more
than 400 popular articles on science -- including regular contributions
to both the Huffington Post and Discover Magazine blogs -- gives many
dozens of talks annually, and is the host of the SETI Institute’s weekly
science radio show, “Big Picture Science.”
Andrew Fraknoi -
Andrew Fraknoi is the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill
College and Senior Educator at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
He teaches courses on "astronomy and physics for poets" to about a
thousand students each year. In 2007, he was selected as the Professor
of the Year for the state of California by the Carnegie Endowment for
Education. He appears frequently on local and national radio, explaining
astronomical developments in everyday language. His book for children,
"Disney's Wonderful World of Space" was published in 2007, he is the
lead author on a series of college astronomy textbooks, and he has
edited two books of science and science fiction for Bantam. Asteroid
4859 has been named Asteroid Fraknoi by the International Astronomical
Union in recognition of his contributions to science popularization. He
currently serves as Vice-chair of the Board of Trustees of the SETI
Institute.
Leonard Mlodinow - Leonard Mlodinow received his PhD
in theoretical physics from the University of California at Berkeley and
now teaches at Caltech. He has written for numerous scientific
journals, as well as for the popular press, including Nature, The New
York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is also the author of
several best-sellers including The Drunkard’s Walk: how randomness rules
our lives (2008), and The Grand Design (2010), co-authored with Stephen
Hawking. His latest book is Subliminal: how your unconscious mind rules
your behavior. In addition, he has written for television series such
as MacGyver, and Star Trek: the Next Generation.
David Morrison -
Dr. David Morrison is the Director of the Carl Sagan Center for the
Study of Life in the Universe, at the SETI Institute in Mountain View,
California. He is Past Director of the NASA Lunar Science Institute
(NLSI) and a senior scientist in Astrobiology at NASA Ames Research
Center. Prior to this position, he served at NASA Ames as Director of
Space and as the Chief of the Space Science Division, leading one of the
premier science organizations at NASA consisting of space scientists
undertaking basic research in astronomy, planetary science, and
exobiology. He received his Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University
in 1969 and has published more than 160 technical papers and a dozen
books.
Moderator:
Edna DeVore - Science and astronomy
educator Edna DeVore is the Deputy CEO and the Director of Education and
Public Outreach (EPO) at the SETI Institute. She’s been a researcher,
planetarium director, teacher, and curriculum writer, and currently is
busy with projects related to education and SETI. Notable among these
are the “Life in the Universe” curriculum materials for students in
grades 3-9 and a new high school course, “Voyages Through Time”. Edna
also co-directs the education and public outreach programs for two NASA
missions: SOFIA and Kepler.
