June 25, 2003

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SETI Institute Selected As Astrobiology Lead Team

Mountain View, CA - The SETI Institute, a leader in the detection of life's bio-signatures, received special recognition of its work this week from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, when it was selected as a new Lead Team of NASA's Astrobiology Institute (NAI), the international research consortium coordinated through NAI's offices at NASA's Ames Research Center.

The SETI Institute is one of twelve teams that were selected, each of whom will receive five-year awards at an average annual funding level of approximately one million dollars. The SETI Institute's winning proposal included a variety of research projects examining global-scale processes that have shaped, and been shaped by, the interaction between life and its environment. Some of the funded research will help SETI Institute scientists choose the target stars for the SETI Institute's next-generation search for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life.

Dr. Christopher Chyba, holder of the SETI Institute's Carl Sagan Chair for the Study of Life in the Universe, will lead a team of fourteen SETI Institute co-investigators along with their collaborators from other academic and scientific research institutions.

"Speaking on behalf of the Co-Principal Investigators who developed our proposal to the NASA Astrobiology Institute, I can say we are proud to join this remarkable group of institutions, representing some of the finest scientists and engineers in the field of astrobiology," said Chyba. He went on to add, "The SETI Institute brings unique strengths and scientific investigations to the NAI, and membership in the NAI should in turn provide SETI Institute scientists with new insights and opportunities. This is a tremendous win-win."

The SETI Institute has conducted astrobiology research since its inception in 1984, pursuing this research within the framework of a formula devised by SETI pioneer, Dr. Frank Drake, in an equation bearing his name. Institute researchers study the many questions underpinning the scientific search for both primitive and intelligent life on other worlds. While the Institute has historically referred to this area of science as "Life in the Universe" research, all of this work falls within NASA's astrobiology mandate to "study the evolution, distribution and future of life on Earth and in the universe."

"This exciting opportunity to join the NASA Astrobiology Institute is the culmination of nineteen years of building a multi-disciplinary institution focused on the various sciences that comprise astrobiology. All of us at the SETI Institute look forward to this new level of partnership with NASA and the other NAI team members," said SETI Institute CEO, Thomas Pierson.

Areas of research covered by the proposal include:

• high-altitude terrestrial lakes as analogs to early Mars;

• the surface geology and ocean chemistry of Jupiter's moon Europa, and the survivability of bio-markers on its surface;

• the habitability of planets orbiting cool M stars, which may enlarge the list of stars targeted for SETI searches;

• the biotic and abiotic mechanisms behind the "oxygen transition" on early Earth;

• the prebiotic and biotic nitrogen cycle on Earth and in laboratory simulations of Mars;

• the role of iron in protecting anoxic life on early Earth against UV radiation.

Another important component of the proposal includes Education and Public Outreach initiatives that will:

• fund teacher training and professional development workshops;

• collaborate with the California Academy of Science on new astrobiology exhibits;

• further engage the public, including underserved audiences, with the science that underlies the funded NAI research.

In addition to the SETI Institute, other institutions selected for membership in the NAI include the Carnegie Institution of Washington; Indiana University, Bloomington; Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole; NASA Ames Research Center; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Pennsylvania State University; University of Arizona, Tucson; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Berkeley; University of Colorado, Boulder; and the University of Hawaii.

As part of its commitment to the new NAI award, the SETI Institute announced today that Dr. Frank Drake will assume administrative responsibility as Director of the SETI Institute's Center for the Study of Life in the Universe. This will free the present Director, Dr. Chyba, to focus his efforts as lead Principal Investigator for the NAI team. Chyba will also continue to hold the Carl Sagan Chair, providing visionary leadership to this and other SETI Institute efforts.

"We couldn't find a more seasoned professional than Frank Drake to take on the responsibilities of Director for the Center," said SETI Institute Board of Trustees Chairman, Dr. Greg Papadopoulos. "He brings a magnificent skill set to the enormous task of steering a remarkable group of scientists and engineers. We're fortunate that Frank was excited about accepting this critical role at such an important time in the life of the SETI Institute."

Recently named 'Chairman Emeritus' of the Institute's Board of Trustees, Drake looks forward to his new role, and comments, "As Chris Chyba accepts the responsibility of Principal Investigator for the SETI Institute's NAI Team, I look forward to working closely with him and the many scientists, researchers and staff who work on over three dozen projects in our Center for the Study of Life in the Universe. I couldn't have a more committed group of people to work with nor a more compelling scientific program than the search for life, in all its forms, on our planet, within the solar system and beyond."

Contact Information

Karen Randall
Director of Special Projects
(650) 960-4517
krandall@seti.org

Dr. Christopher Chyba
c/o Taylor Bucci
(650) 960-4519
tbucci@seti.org

Related Information

SETI Institute NAI Announcement

Interviews with Christopher Chyba and Jill Tarter (multi-media clips)

SETI Institute NAI Proposal

SETI Institute NAI team members

NASA NAI press release