Jill Tarter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jill Tarter
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Tarter at Starmus IV Trondheim, 2017
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| Born |
Jill Cornell
January 16, 1944 |
| Education | Cornell University (BS) University of California, Berkeley (MS, PhD) |
| Known for | SETI research |
| Spouse(s) | C. Bruce Tarter Jack Welch |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Radio astronomy |
| Thesis | The Interaction of Gas and Galaxies within Galaxy Clusters (1975) |
| Doctoral advisor | Joseph Silk |
Jill Cornell Tarter (born January 16, 1944) is an American astronomer. She is famous for her work on the search for alien life. This search is called the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI.
Jill Tarter used to be the director of the Center for SETI Research. She also held an important position at the SETI Institute. In 2002, Discover magazine named her one of the 50 most important women in science.
Early Life and Education
Jill Tarter grew up in New York State. She finished high school in 1961. When she was twelve, her father passed away. But he had already encouraged her to be curious. He supported her dream of becoming an engineer, even though some thought it was not a typical job for a girl. On family trips, she would look at the night sky. She often wondered who or what might be out there.
Tarter went to Cornell University. She earned a degree in Engineering Physics in 1965. She was the only woman in her graduating class of 300 engineering students. She became interested in astronomy while studying at the University of California, Berkeley. There, she earned her Master's degree in 1971 and her PhD in 1975. For her PhD, she studied small, dim objects in space. She even created the term "brown dwarf" for them. These objects are like failed stars that don't burn hydrogen.
Searching for Life in Space
Jill Tarter has worked on many big science projects. Most of them are about finding extraterrestrial life. When she was a student, she was inspired by a report called the Cyclops Report. This report talked about how to search for alien signals.
She worked on a project called SERENDIP. This project used radio telescopes to listen for signals from space. She even came up with the full name for SERENDIP: "Search for Extraterrestrial Radio Emissions from Nearby Developed Intelligent Populations."
Later, she led other important SETI projects. One was called the High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS). Another was Project Phoenix. In 2002, she helped create the HabCat. This is a catalog of stars that might have planets where life could exist.
Jill Tarter has written many scientific papers. She also gives many talks about the search for alien life. She believes it's important to teach people about science. After 35 years of searching, she retired in 2012.
In 2006, Jill Tarter spoke on a podcast. She said that if we find out we are not alone, humans will see themselves differently. In 2011, she gave a talk called "Intelligent Life in the Universe: Is Anybody Out There?" at the first Starmus Festival. This festival combines astronomy, science, music, and art. She later joined the festival's board of directors. Other famous people like Stephen Hawking are also on the board.
In 2017, a book about Jill Tarter was published. It is called Making Contact: Jill Tarter and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
Awards and Recognition
Jill Tarter's work in astrobiology has earned her many awards. She is also recognized for being a successful female scientist.
- In 1989, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Aerospace.
- She was chosen as a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry in 1994.
- The Chabot Observatory named her their person of the year in 1997.
- In 2001, she received the Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology.
- She became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2002.
- In 2003, she received the Adler Planetarium Women in Space Science Award.
- Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004.
- She received two public service medals from NASA.
- In 2005, an asteroid was named after her: 74824 Tarter.
- She received the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization in 2005.
- In 2009, she received a TED Prize.
- She was chosen as a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020.
- In 2021, she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
See also
In Spanish: Jill Tarter para niños
