"YES, you can have it ALL - just don't expect it to be easy
(actually it won't just be hard, it will be massively difficult, but worth every struggle). Try to ignore gender biased
counseling, and do whatever it is you love to do."
Jill Tarter
Jill Tarter - Looking for Life
In 1985, Carl Sagan's novel, "Contact,"
was released. It tells the story of Ellie Arroway, a radio astronomer, and her search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In 1997, the
movie by the same name was released with Jodie Foster playing Ellie.
Meet a real-life Ellie Arroway...Dr. Jill Tarter. Though the character in Sagan's book was not based on Dr. Tarter, there are a lot of
similarities.
Dr. Tarter is the Director of the Center for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Research and is a Principle
Investigator on Voyages Through Time, a high school science curriculum based on evolution that the SETI Institute is developing. She
also holds the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI.
The SETI Institute is a private organization looking for life in the Universe. Radio astronomy is used in their search for "extraterrestrial
technologies". Finding such signals may indicate intelligent life other than that found on Earth.
Links on the Web
Using your favorite search engine, you will find many sites on Dr. Tarter. Here are a few we found particularly
interesting.
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ABC
News - 1999 live chat transcript with Dr. Tarter.
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Contact, the movie - The
official Web site for the movie. (I love the sound-bite as the page loads!)
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Cornell
University - A biography on Dr. Tarter at the university where she received her degree in engineering physics,
which she thought was "boring."
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History of Women
in Astronomy - This biography is a little dated, but still full of useful information.
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Rosette
Gazette - An interview with Dr. Tarter by Rose City Astronomers' Bob McGown and Dareth Murray as published in the
March 2002 society newsletter.
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SETI - This is the organization that is
searching for sentient life in the Universe. Dr. Tarter is Director of the Center for SETI Research, a Principal
Investigator for the upcoming Voyages Through Time CD-ROM, and the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI.
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Contact -
SETI's site on the movie. Here are some comments from Dr. Tarter about the movie. You will also find another
reality-inspired character, Kent Clark, the blind researcher.
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Director
Profile - SETI's profile on Dr. Tarter as Director of the Center for SETI Research.
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Bernard M. Oliver
Chair - SETI's profile on Dr. Tarter as the first appointee to this chair.
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Space.com
- Here is another 1999 interview with Dr. Tarter on one of the Web's best sites on space and astronomy.
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Amazon.com
On the remote chance that you
were abducted by LGMs (little green men) and haven't read the book or seen the movie, you may order them
through this Web site at Amazon.com. By using the links below to place your order, you will help theWoman
Astronomer pay for this Web site.
Contact, A novel by Carl Sagan,
©1985, 1997
When I first read this book, I really enjoyed the story, though I
thought the characters were a little bland. I've since changed my opinion, in large part, because of Jodie Foster's excellent
performance in the movie version. Get the VHS Contact or the DVD Contact
to add to your video library.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank
the SETI Institute for their assistance with this page by providing the above image of Dr. Tarter, as well as her quote. I would also
like to thank Chris Neller at SETI for checking the accuracy of this page.
