SETI League Press Release
The SETI League recognized Dr. Ivan Almar of the Konkoly Observatory, Budapest, with its annual Giordano Bruno Memorial Award, for technical excellence in the service of SETI. Almar is the originator of the San Marino Scale, an analytical tool for assessing the impact of transmissions from Earth. This scale was adopted in September, 2007 by the SETI Permanent Study Group of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), lending a quantitative basis to discussions of policy regarding Active SETI experiments. Previously, Dr. Almar had co-authored the Rio Scale, another analytical tool adopted by the IAA, used for quantifying the significance of extraterrestrial signals received on Earth. A Full Member of the IAA, Almar has been an active member of its SETI Committee since its inception more than three decades ago.
Tom Crowley, amateur radio callsign KT4XN, was selected to receive The SETI League's annual Orville Greene Service Award, for exemplary volunteer service to the nonprofit organization. A Charter Member of The SETI League, Crowley has long served as a SETI League volunteer Regional Coordinator. He has served as President and Treasurer of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA), a SETI League affiliate society, and participated in many SARA and SETI League meetings over the years. His efforts to bring the two organizations closer together have helped to legitimize SETI science as a respected branch of radio astronomy.
As neither award recipient was able to be present at today's meeting, formal award presentations will occur in the near future. SETI League executive director emeritus Prof. H. Paul Shuch plans to present Crowley with his plaque at the SARA Annual Meeting, to be held at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank WV, in late June. He will similarly honor Almar at the IAA's upcoming International Astronautical Congress in Glasgow, Scotland in September.
The Trustees of The SETI League also acted at the annual meeting to confirm two new appointees to the SETI League Advisory Board. Joining five other distinguished scientists and technologists are science fiction author and longtime SETI League member Greg Bear, whose late father-in-law Poul Anderson previously served on the Advisory Board, and Prof. Paul Davies, a physicist, author, and science popularizer, who fills a vacancy left by the recent passing of senior SETI League advisor Sir Arthur C. Clarke.
Also at the Annual Meeting, a moment of silence was observed, in remembrance of Clarke and Marc Arnold, Esq., a trustee since the organization's inception, who passed away last week. SETI League president Richard Factor was appointed to replace Arnold as Registered Agent.
In other actions at today's meeting, the Board of Trustees accepted the Executive Director's and Secretary/Treasurer's annual reports; adopted a 2008 budget; re-elected its officers (Richard Factor, WA2IKL, President; A. Heather Wood, Secretary/Treasurer; H. Paul Shuch, N6TX, Executive Director Emeritus) to serve on a volunteer basis for an additional one-year term; approved an extension of new SETI League memberships dues for members in good standing of affiliate society SARA, the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers; and agreed to continue cost sharing of the Executive Director Emeritus' health insurance premiums.
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 join_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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