Kibbe Science Lecture Presents Dr. Aomawa Shields: "The Search for Life (and A Life) on Planets, Including This One"

*Please note the date and start time of this event has changed*

In 1995 we knew of one planet orbiting another star like the sun. Today we know of nearly 5,000 planets orbiting other stars. We call these planets extrasolar planets, or “exoplanets.” These planets orbit a range of different types of stars, including stars very different from our own. And the planets themselves present a wide range of potential environments in which life could thrive or not. How do we know what it takes for life to thrive on a planet? What would it take for you to thrive on this planet? As we’ll see, when it comes to the search for life elsewhere in the universe, just as in our own lives, answering that question is a process as dynamic as the discovery of new worlds orbiting trillions of miles away.

Dr. Aomawa Shields is an astronomer, astrobiologist, actor, and writer and is currently a Clare Boothe Luce Associate Professor at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Shields’s research focuses on exploring the climate and habitability of small planets in the Earth-sized regime orbiting low-mass stars, using a hierarchy of computer models in concert with data from NASA’s Kepler mission, along with other space- and ground-based observatories. Also a classically trained actor, she uses her theater background to communicate science to the public in engaging, innovative ways.

The Kibbe Science Lecture may be viewed either in person in Kresge Auditorium or as a livestream, with the moderator at Kresge and the speaker delivering her talk on Zoom. Both are free of charge, and the in-person event is open to the vaccinated public. 

To view the livestream, please click here.

Sponsored by the Kibbe Science Lecture Fund.

Please be advised of the following protocols related to COVID-19:

• All non-Bowdoin affiliated attendees must provide proof of full vaccination, including booster, prior to entering the lecture by: vaccination validation through the smartphone app Health Pass by CLEAR; or presentation of a CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (actual card, photocopy, or mobile photo) along with valid state or federal ID.
• Attendees must wear a face covering at all times (only surgical, KN95 or equivalent (N95, KF-94) masks are acceptable on the Bowdoin campus).
• All Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff are expected to wear their Bowdoin OneCards on a lanyard when in public spaces—indoors and outdoors—on campus.

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