Dr. Andrew H. Knoll Professor of Biology & Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences Harvard University Thursday, 15 October 1998 7:30 pm Young Auditorium, Bey Hall Monmouth Univeristy Cedar and Norwood Avenues West Long Branch, NJ 732-571-7520 Refreshments and informal discussion will follow the lecture Free and Open to the Public
Humans have wondered about the possibility of life beyond our planet since our ancestors first encountered the vastness of the night sky, but despite our persistent curiosity, we only know for certain of one place in the universe where life flourishes: Earth. In August of 1996, evidence was announced for the existence of life on an unusual and distinctive Martian meteorite discovered in Antarctica. What exactly was the nature of this evidence, and what have we learned since then to help us to evaluate it? Are scientists more convinced than ever of the likelihood of early Martian life? Or are there other alternate explanations of the evidence that lead to the conclusion that we may be alone in our solar system, and maybe in the universe?
Dr. Andrew Knoll is a Professor of Biology and a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. For the past six years he has been Chairman of Harvard's Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Dr. Knoll serves on the editorial boards of numerous prestigious scientific publications, and is a member of the Rover Science Team for NASA's 2003 Lander Mission to Mars. He has traveled extensively throughout the world as a researcher and visiting professor, including work in Japan, Australia, Sweden, England, South Africa, Greenland, Panama, Siberia, China, and the Bahamas. He is a recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Phi Beta Kappa, and the American Philosophical Society. Dr. Knoll's current research interests include the relationship between evolution and environmental change in the Earth's history, and life as a planetary phenomenon. Dr. Knoll has editted four books and published over 170 scientific papers.
The Norman J Field Lectures in Science were established in 1991 in memory of Dr. Norman J Field, and are cosponsored by the Monmouth County Section of the American Chemical Society, the Monmouth Junior Science Symposium, the Friends of the Monmouth County Library Association, the Monmouth County School Boards Association, and by the Rutgers University Chapter of Sigma Xi, an international scientific research society. Dr. Field was widely recognized for his contributions in the area of public education. He maintained a lifelong personal and professional interest in scientific issues. It is hoped that this lecture series will serve to promote similar interest in science and science education among both younger and older members of the community.
For additional information please contact: Ken Field fieldk@att.net