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<b><u>SETIcon<br><br>
</u></b>The First-Ever Public Convention Focused on the<br>
Search for Life in the Universe in Science Fact and Science
Fiction<br><br>
August 13 - 15, 2010<br>
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Santa Clara, California<br><br>
Only $20 per day or $35 for a weekend pass.<br>
Go to
<a href="http://www.seticon.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.seticon.com</a> for more information and tickets.<br><br>
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Here are just a few of the fascinating panels scheduled for the
weekend:<br><br>
* Looking for a Few Good Earths: Finding Our Counterpart Among the
Stars<br>
* Was Stephen Hawking Right: Should We Not Broadcast to Extraterrestrial
Civilizations?<br>
* Multiverses: Is One Cosmos Enough?<br>
* Should Pluto be Considered a Planet?<br>
* Why Are There No Tourists from Other Worlds?<br>
* White Lab Coats and Gray Aliens: Images of Scientists and
Extraterrestrials in the Popular Media<br>
* Asteroid Armageddon: Will The Kind of Rock that Obliterated the
Dinosaurs Get Us Next?<br>
* Should Humans Explore the Moon and the Planets or Do We Leave it to
Robots?<br>
* Is Doomsday 2012 For Real or Will you Still Have to Pay Taxes in
2013?<br>
* Do We Have to Learn Klingon: How Will We Communicate with ET?<br>
* Secrets of the Red Planet: What Have We Learned from Mars
Exploration?<br><br>
The roster of guest speakers includes:<br>
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* Rusty Schweickart, the Apollo astronaut, who now devotes his life to
saving the Earth from future asteroid impacts<br>
* Frank Drake, the astronomer who undertook the first project to listen
for alien radio messages and founded the SETI field<br>
* Michael Brown, who discovered large worlds beyond Pluto and helped kick
Pluto out of the "planet club"<br>
* Robert J. Sawyer, the award-winning science fiction writer who has
written some of the best novels about alien contact<br>
* David Morrison, the NASA astronomer who is trying to calm public fears
about the so-called "Doomsday 2012" idea<br><br>
* Debra Fischer, one of the top planet hunters in the world,
co-discoverer of the first system of planets around another star<br>
* Alex Filippenko, who helped discover the "dark energy" that
is speeding up the expansion of the entire universe<br>
* Jill Tarter, the leader of the quest to find signals from alien
civilizations (on whom Jodie Foster's character in Contact is based)<br>
* Tim Russ, who played Tuvak on Star Trek: Voyager, and who is an avid
amateur astronomer<br>
* Mary Roach, author of several best sellers and the forthcoming
"Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the
Void"<br><br>
Other guests include radio host and noted SETI scientist Seth Shostak;
astronomer, radio commentator, and California Professor of the Year
Andrew Fraknoi; Kevin Grazier, scientist on the Cassini Mission and
science advisor for Battlestar Galactica; cosmologist Sean Carroll; Jon
Jenkins and Gibor Basri, co-investigators on the Kepler mission to search
for earths around other stars; Phil Plait, "the Bad
Astronomer"; Dale Cruikshank, who helped discover Pluto's
atmosphere; plus other scientists, educators, and commentators with the
knack for explaining science in everyday language.<br><br>
Don't miss this fascinating link-up between the worlds of science and the
imagination. There will be special programs for families and for
educators. Space is limited and tickets are available on a first-come,
first-served basis.<br><br>
Register at the convention web site:
<a href="http://www.seticon.com/" eudora="autourl">www.seticon.com<br>
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SPECIAL GUEST:<br><br>
Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart has worked with Nobel Laureate George
Smoot and the SETI Institute’s Jill Tarter on a fascinating composition
called "Rhythms of the Universe". Hart will introduce a preview
showing of this work-in-progress at a Friday evening event during
SETIcon. This special event requires both a SETIcon ticket purchase
and a current or new SETI Institute membership (TeamSETI) to attend.
Packages that include membership and Mickey Hart event start at $70. See
the website for more information. <br>
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A Saturday evening banquet will honor Frank Drake on the 50th anniversary
of the first SETI experiment, Project OZMA. <br><br>
SETIcon benefits the non-profit SETI Institute, and its programs in
science and education.<br>
In 2010 the Institute is celebrating its 25th year or scientific research
and public outreach.<br><br>
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Andrew Fraknoi, Chair, Astronomy Program<br>
Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Rd.,<br>
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022, USA<br><br>
Telephone: (650) 949-7288<br>
E-mail: fraknoiandrew@fhda.edu<br>
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