Is Anybody Out There?: The Search for ET with help from Eight Million Volunteers

Dr. Werthimer will discuss the possibility of life in the universe and the search for radio and optical signals from other civilizations. Berkeley's SETI@home project analyzes data from the world's largest radio telescope using desktop computers from volunteers in 226 countries. SETI@home participants have contributed millions of years of computer time and have formed one of Earth's most powerful supercomputers. Users have the small but captivating possibility their computer will detect the first signal from a civilization beyond Earth.
Werthimer will also discuss other citizen science projects, including the upcoming ENERGY@home project. He will cover next generation radio telescope arrays that will require petaflops of computing, as well as speculate on when Earthlings might discover other civilizations.