The Seminars on MAterials Research & Technology Lecture Series is an initiative from the Materials Research and Technology department at LIST that will revolve around the department’s five core pillars:
The SMAR&T Lecture Series particularly aims to introduce LIST’s Materials research fields and the Luxembourg research community at large to cutting-edge trends in materials technology while fostering novel research programmes.
The SMAR&T series will host world-renowned experts from academia and industry to share their insights, enhancing the knowledge base within LIST’s Materials department and Luxembourg as a whole.
With a total of 10 planned lectures, the SMAR&T series seeks to bridge the gap between different and diverse research domains while fostering the exchange of ideas.
Through informal and extended discussions, the series will also encourage interaction and engagement among researchers and SMAR&T speakers, potentially sparking research collaborations and novel initiatives. To enable this, at every SMAR&T Lecture interested researchers will be able to meet individually with the SMAR&T seminar speaker to exchange research ideas.
Join the 1st SMAR&T Lecture either virtually of physically!
Dr. S. “Pete” Worden | |
Biography | Dr. S. “Pete” Worden, (Brig Gen, USAF, Ret, PhD) is Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Executive Director of the foundation’s ‘Breakthrough Initiatives’. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona. After several US Air Force positions and a research professorship in astronomy at the University of Arizona, Dr. Worden was Director of NASA’s Ames Research Center until retiring on March 31, 2015. From 2017 to the present, Brigadier General Worden is an Advisor to the Luxembourg Space Agency and was appointed as a Knight-Commander of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2018 for his space services. |
Presentation Title | Life in the Universe and Private Sector Space Science Initiatives |
Abstract | The Breakthrough Initiatives are a suite of scientific space exploration programs searching for signatures of life beyond Earth. These efforts include Breakthrough Listen, a search for technosignatures and advanced life, Breakthrough Watch, a ground and space-borne program to support direct imaging of nearby exoplanets, and Breakthrough Starshot, an interstellar programme to develop lightsail probes destined to Alpha Centauri. The Alpha Centauri system has been center stage in scientific discoveries recently, and is a focus across the breadth of the Breakthrough Initiatives. As the closest star and planetary system to our Solar System at ~1.3 pc, our neighbor is intriguing. Multiple observations are ongoing, and plans are drawn up for an eventual visit. In the past few years, several planets have been confirmed orbiting Proxima Centauri – one appears to be earth sized and in the star’s “habitable zone.” Non-thermal radio emission has been confirmed from Proxima and appears modulated by the planet Proxima b. There is even, albeit likely to be terrestrial interference, narrow band signals from the star.
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Supported by
( project code 18014455)
Date: September 26th 2023
Schedule: 04:00 p.m to 05:00 p.m
Location: LIST, 41, rue du Brill - L-4422 Belvaux
Attendance either virtual of physical.
By registering the participants will have the possibility to meet with the speaker. Appointments could be made and will depend on the number of places available. You will be contacted before the event in order to organise the meeting.