Seth Shostak
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Seth Shostak is an American astronomer. He earned his physics degree from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology.
He is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, and the 2004 winner of the Klumpke-Roberts Award awarded by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
Before joining SETI, he used radio telescopes in the USA and the Netherlands, searching for clues to the ultimate fate of the universe by analyzing galaxy motion. While in the Netherlands, he also founded and ran a computer animation company.
Shostak is responsible for numerous outreach activities associated with the SETI Institute. He is science editor for The Explorer, (a monthly publication for supporters of the Institute), gives more than 50 talks annually for both academic and general audiences, and writes magazine articles (and books) about SETI. He also teaches informal education classes on astronomy and other topics in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is the inventor of the electrical banana, a circumstance he claims has had little positive effect on his life.[1]
He is the host for the SETI Institute's weekly radio program Are We Alone?. Each week, Shostak interviews guests about the latest scientific research on a variety of topics: cosmology, physics, genetics, paleontology, evolutionary biology and astrobiology, and once a month, illustrates the lost art of critical thinking with "Skeptical Sunday" a show focused on debunking pseudo-science, U.F.O.s and practices such as astrology and dowsing. Are We Alone? airs on Discovery Channel Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio and is also available through podcasts.
His avocations include photography, filmmaking, and electronics.
Shostak has produced a series of lectures on audio-tape and video on the subject of SETI for the Teaching Company.
He has been an observer for Project Phoenix (SETI) as well as an active participant in various international forums for SETI research.
He is also Chair of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Permanent Study Group.
[edit] Bibliography
- Life in the Universe, Jeffrey O. Bennett, Bruce Jakosky and Seth Shostak, 1980, ISBN 0-385-28458-6.
- Sharing the Universe: Perspectives on Extraterrestrial Life, Seth Shostak, foreword by Frank Drake 1998, ISBN 0-9653774-3-1.
- Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe, Seth Shostak, Alex Barnett, 2003, ISBN 0-521-82233-5.
In addition to having over 60 technical and research papers on Astronomy published in peer-reviewed, academic journals, Shostak has also written hundreds of popular articles on space, SETI, and film for newspapers, magazines, and the SPACE.com web site.
