Rebecca Charbonneau (National Radio Astronomy Observatory and American Institute of Physics)

Date: Thu. December 5th, 2024, 4:00 pm-5:00 pm
Location: Rockefeller 301

Science in a Divided World: Communication Across Cosmic and Political Boundaries

In the mid-20th century, efforts by radio astronomers to search for extraterrestrial intelligence unfolded against the backdrop of the Cold War, a period marked by intense political division and competing ideologies. Despite these divides, scientists from both sides of the Iron Curtain engaged in surprising acts of collaboration and dialogue, driven by the shared ambition of understanding humanity’s place in the universe. This talk explores the challenges and opportunities of communication—not only with potential extraterrestrial civilizations but also across the deeply fractured political landscapes of Earth. Drawing on material from my forthcoming book, Mixed Signals: Alien Communication Across the Iron Curtain (Dec 2024), I will examine how the aspirations of these pioneering radio astronomers intersected with the realities of Cold War geopolitics, and what this history can teach us about the role of science as a bridge across divides.

Co-sponsored with Department of History