SETI League Press Release
"When The SETI League was founded in 1994," explains Prof. H. Paul Shuch, the research group's Executive Director Emeritus, "the Internet was very young, and accessible only to techies. We launched a formidable Web presence, replete with several email discussion lists. The Computer Bulletin Board and Email Forum paradigm has become passe', long ago replaced by the current Social Networking milieu. Because we long concentrated more on SETI science than terrestrial communications, The SETI League is somewhat late to the table. We're now working to correct that."
The power of social networking became instantly evident to the SETI League leadership team last week, with more than 100 "Likes" to the prototype page on its first day, before it had even been announced to the League's worldwide membership base. "I'm pleased to note that a technical discussion emerged that first day," notes Shuch, "with members collaborating to calculate the precise gain of the Allen Telescope Array on a frequency of interest to SETI enthusiasts."
The SETI League hopes that participants in its former email discussion lists will gravitate to the group's new Facebook page, where they are encouraged to debate and dialog on SETI science, technology, and societal implications. "This is an open form, in which we encourage public participation," emphasizes Shuch. "Our Facebook page will be moderated only to the extent necessary to ensure that posts respect the spirit of The SETI League's stated vision and mission. Sometimes, the more outlandish the idea, the more it ends up enhancing human knowledge."
Largely using radio telescopes and optical telescopes, SETI scientists seek to determine whether humankind is alone in the universe. Since Congress terminated NASA's SETI funding in 1993, The SETI League and other scientific groups have privatized the research. Amateur and professional scientists interested in participating in the search for intelligent alien life, and citizens wishing to help support it, should email our Secretary/Treasurer at heather_at_setileague_dot_org, check the SETI League Web site at http://www.setileague.org/, send a fax to +1 (201) 641-1771, or contact The SETI League, Inc. membership hotline at +1 (800) TAU-SETI. Be sure to provide us with a postal address to which we will mail further information. The SETI League, Inc. is a membership-supported, non-profit [501(c)(3)], educational and scientific corporation dedicated to the scientific Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.
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