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SETI Institute

Contact Information:

Diane Richards
Marketing and Communications Officer
(650) 960-4513
drichards{at}seti.org

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

June 25, 2003

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 endowed 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."

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