On what would have been Carl Sagan's 90th birthday, Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute will celebrate his legacy in an interdisciplinary day of science, music and more as part of the College of Arts &Sciences’ Arts Unplugged series. Opening the event will be Sagan's longtime collaborator and widow, Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer/producer/director Ann Druyan, who, among other collaborations with Sagan, co-wrote the original "Cosmos" series with him, co-created the motion picture "Contact" and is writer, producer and director of the award-winning second and third seasons of "Cosmos."
The celebration will take place in Call Auditorium in Kennedy Hall on Nov. 9 from 2-6:15 p.m. A livestream will be hosted by eCornell; register here. A livestream will also be available on Youtube, with no registration required. Additional events will be held throughout the day, including family activities in the morning. All events are free and open to the public.
“Carl Sagan continues to inspire our search for life in the cosmos, with research at the Carl Sagan Institute carrying his legacy into the future. We invite everyone to celebrate this special occasion with us on Nov. 9,” said Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute and associate professor of astronomy (A&S), who will moderate the event.
The Carl Sagan Institute, based on the pioneering work of Sagan, was founded to find life in the universe and features an interdisciplinary team from across the university. On Nov. 9, team members from the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Agriculture and Life Sciences will share their latest research, including the newest results of the James Webb Space Telescope's search for exoplanets, how to find life in the cosmos, an update on the Cornell light sail that will deploy from the International Space Station, and an exploration of the music of the Voyager's Golden Record in a modern context.
Video birthday wishes from people Sagan inspired will be shared, including some that Kaltenegger predicts will surprise attendees. The public is also invited to share their own birthday wishes and tributes to Sagan, via a submission system that will be unveiled soon on the institute’s social media platforms.
Family activities will feature the Physics Bus and an open house at the Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility (SPIF) from noon to 2 p.m.
The celebration is being co-sponsored by the Department of Astronomy (A&S) and the Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Other events on campus being held to celebrate Sagan’s legacy include a talk on the search for intelligent life on Friday night, Nov. 8, and public open houses at Fuertes Observatory on Friday, 8-11 p.m. and Saturday, 10 p.m.-midnight, all hosted by the Cornell Astronomical Society. An interactive map for a walking tour of Carl Sagan-related locations around Ithaca and Cayuga Heights, including the Sagan Planet Walk (an initiative of the Sciencenter) has also been created by research assistant Gillis Lowry ’24.
Cornell Cinema will host "Making 'Contact' with Extraterrestrial Worlds at Cornell and Beyond" at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 9, as part of their ongoing Science on Screen® series. Kaltenegger will introduce the film "Contact" with a discussion of the search for life in the cosmos and our human fascination with communicating with non-human worlds. Celebratory cupcakes will be served in honor of Sagan’s 90th birthday.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. The livestream of this event on eCornell will include real time captioning, so please register for that event to view those during the event. To request another accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please email Kathy Hovis as soon as possible at kah53@cornell.edu.
Schedule:
Friday, Nov. 8
7 p.m. Shami Chatterjee, research professor in astronomy, will offer a public lecture on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in Toni Morrison Hall, Multipurpose Room 102, on North Campus.
8:00-11:00 p.m. Open observing night at Fuertes Observatory, hosted by the Cornell Astronomical Society.
Saturday, Nov. 9
For kids and families:
Noon-2 p.m.
The Physics Bus, Space Sciences Building parking lot
Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility (SPIF) Open House, Space Sciences Building
The birthday celebration
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2-6:15 p.m.
Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall
2 p.m. Opening Remarks
- John Siliciano, interim provost
- Ann Druyan, Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer/producer/director
- “Searching for Alien Earths” by Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute and associate professor of astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences
- 2:36 pm, Presentations, Part 1
• Nikole Lewis, associate professor of astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences, “Sniffing Exoplanet Atmospheres with JWST”
• Britney Schmidt, associate professor of astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences and of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell Engineering, “Europa in our Backyard”
• Bruce Lewenstein, professor of science and sechnology studies, College of Arts & Sciences, and professor of communication, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, “The Role of ‘Imagination’ in Cosmos.”
3:35 pm, Joseph Dervay, NASA, "A Surprise"
3:40 pm, Music Introduction and Performance
• Gabriela S. Gómez Estévez, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras, College of Arts & Sciences, “An Introduction to 'The Unanswered Question'”
• Members of the Cornell Orchestra, performance, "The Unanswered Question"
3:50-4:20 Break – birthday cupcakes served
4:20 pm, Presentations, Part 2
• Andrew Hicks, associate professor of music, College of Arts & Sciences, “Voyager's Golden Record: A View from 81,419,422,572,180 Feet”
• Mark Sarvary, senior lecturer of neurobiology & behavior, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, “Inspiring Curiosity and Combating Misinformation: The Sagan Effect Reimagined”
• Josh Umansky-Castro, doctoral candidate in aerospace engineering, Cornell Engineering, “Laser Sailing to the Stars”
• Jonas Biren, postdoctoral research sssociate in Earth and atmospheric sciences, Cornell Engineering, “What are Lava Worlds Made of?”
• Elaine Petro, assistant professor of mechanical & aerospace engineering, Cornell Engineering, “Can alien elephants fly?”
• Buz Barstow, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering, Cornell Engineering, “If you were permitted only one question to ask them?”
• Rebecca Payne, postdoctoral research associate in astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences, “Worlds on the Edge and the potential for Space Dinosaurs”
• Ligia Coelho, 51 Pegasi b Fellow, Department of Astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences
6:00 pm, Closing remarks
• Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute and associate pressor of astronomy, College of Arts & Sciences, “Searching for Colors of Life in the Cosmos”
• Ann Druyan, Emmy and Peabody award-winning writer/producer/director
A livestream will be hosted by eCornell; register here. A livestream will also be available on Youtube, with no registration required.
7:30 p.m.: Cornell Cinema will host "Making 'Contact' with Extraterrestrial Worlds at Cornell and Beyond" as part of their ongoing Science on Screen® series. Kaltenegger will introduce the film "Contact" with a discussion of the search for life in the cosmos and our human fascination with communicating with non-human worlds. Celebratory cupcakes will be served.
10:00 p.m.-midnight
Open observing night at Fuertes Observatory, hosted by the Cornell Astronomical Society.
Sunday, Nov. 10
2:30 p.m.
Cornell Cinema will show the movie "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial"
On your own time
An interactive map for a walking tour of Carl Sagan-related locations around Ithaca and Cayuga Heights, including the Sagan Planet Walk (an initiative of the Sciencenter) has also been created by research assistant Gillis Lowry ’24.
