“Life on Other Planets: Finding My Place in the Universe” Carnegie Science Lecture

Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/20/2024
3:30 pm

Location
Virtual Event

Category(ies)

• Technology & Science

Aomawa Shields (Photo – Carnegie Science)

With nearly 6,000 planets and counting discovered beyond our own Solar System, humankind is closer than it has ever been to answering the question: “Are we alone in the universe?”

And yet, much remains to be done. Many factors and processes can affect planetary climate and habitability, and they must be understood to accurately determine a planet’s potential for hosting life. Professor Aomawa Shields will share her recent research and discuss the implications of these results for determining planetary habitability and identifying planets that could support life.

Sharing excerpts from her new memoir, Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe, Shields will also speak about her struggle to fit in as a Black woman in astronomy, her non-traditional career path, and the holistic ways of working soft and resting more that were instrumental to finding her place in the universe, and thriving both personally and professionally.

> To register for the virtual event, click here.

About the Speaker

Dr. Aomawa Shields is an astronomer, astrobiologist, classically trained actor, and writer. She is the Clare Boothe Luce Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She was named a 2015 TED Fellow and is the recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award, and NASA Habitable Worlds and Exoplanets Research Program grants, among others. She is the founder and director of Rising Stargirls, a program dedicated to encouraging girls of all colors and backgrounds to learn about, explore, and discover the universe using theater, writing, and visual art.

Her new memoir, Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe, was published by Viking in July 2023. Shields has presented her book in various events and has been showcased on Good Morning America, MSNBC, Talks at Google, and more. She is the proud mother of six-year-old rising stargirl Garland-Rose, who she and husband Steven have deemed the most extraordinary lifeform in their universe.