A search for life beyond Earth – How it works, where it stands, why it matters. With Bill Diamond

Abstract

The Search for Life Beyond Earth – How It Works, Where It Stands and Why It Matters, explores the science and technology of humanity’s efforts to understand the nature and prevalence of life and intelligence beyond Earth and answer the question “Are we alone in the Universe?” For most of human history this fundamental and profound question has been relegated to the domains of philosophy and religion. But with our ascent to a technological species, manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum and having the capability to look for engineered phenomena coming from beyond our solar system – so-called ’technosignatures’ – the question of are we alone is now firmly within the grasp of modern science. In his presentation, Mr. Diamond will describe the scientific ways in which we seek to find evidence of life beyond Earth, the progress of efforts undertaken thus far, and the impact and relevance of these efforts to science and to society as a whole.

A short bio

Bill Diamond is a Silicon Valley technology veteran and current President and CEO of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. The SETI Institute is a nonprofit astrophysics and astrobiology research and education organization focused on the study of life in the Universe. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Diamond held various executive management positions in applied technologies, most recently at the optical networking company, Oclaro, Inc. Mr. Diamond has over 30 years’ experience in laser photonics and optical communications networks, X-ray imaging, and semiconductor processing technologies. His corporate background ranges from venture-backed start-ups to Fortune 100 multinationals, including CEO positions at WaveSplitter Technologies, Denselight Semiconductor (Singapore) and Xradia, Inc, (now part of Zeiss). He was also President of COMET Technologies USA, leading US operations for the Swiss COMET, AG corporation. Mr. Diamond holds a B.A. in physics from Holy Cross College and a Master’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University. He is a past member of the Advisory Board for the McDonough School of Business Administration at Georgetown and is a current member of the Optical Society of America, the International Astronomical Congress and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Science and Innovation Council, BASIC, in San Francisco.

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