Bill Diamond CEO, SETI Institute
Science and Ideas Group Presents The Search for Life Beyond Earth How it Works, How it’s Going, and Why it Matters
Are we alone in the Universe? Humans have pondered this question since our ancestors first gazed upon the stars with a sense of curiosity. But now, for the first time in human history, we possess the tools to answer that question! The first SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence) experiments to search for distant radio transmissions coming from beyond our solar system were undertaken in 1960 by Frank Drake at Cornell University using a radio telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank West Virginia. Since those initial experiments, the search for life beyond Earth has become a multidisciplinary research endeavor that engages the full spectrum of natural sciences. Are we alone? is among the top three science questions that NASA is trying to answer. The evidence is mounting and the quest to find life beyond Earth has never been more compelling or more timely. Bill Diamond, CEO of the SETI Institute, will join us to discuss research programs in astrophysics and astrobiology and to explain why the search for life beyond Earth matters to humankind and is so relevant to understanding life on our own planet. Bill Diamond is a Silicon Valley technology veteran and current President and CEO of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. 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. 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.