Dr. Cynthia Phillips at the SETI Institute will coordinate an REU Site, operated by the SETI Institute, with a focus on astrobiology (the study of the living universe). Astrobiology is cross-disciplinary, ranging from astronomy and astrophysics to planetary sciences, life sciences, geology, chemistry and technology to explore the universe. The SETI Institute is a non-profit research institute, with two scientific divisions and an education and outreach division. The Bernard M. Oliver Center for SETI Research (SETI) focuses on the search for intelligent life in the universe, while the Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe (LITU) focuses on the search for life in the solar system and beyond. REU students will be partnered with SETI and LITU scientists to conduct a broad range of research projects at facilities available both onsite and nearby at the NASA Ames Research Center. The cross-disciplinary nature of the site provides for broad impact across a number of scientific areas.
