4273-36

Formal and Non-Formal

SETI Education Programs

by

Ragbir Bhathal

Abstract

Frank Drake's experiment on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in 1960 not only generated a new field of observational astronomy but also produced spin-offs in the fields of education and the social sciences.  SETI education programs in formal and non-formal educational institutions provide a powerful tool for educating the public and students about humanity's most profound question: are we alone in the universe?  This paper discusses SETI educational programs in formal and non-formal educational settings.    

Keywords

SETI, extraterrestrial, intelligence, education, non-formal

• The paper (author Web site)

Principal Author Biography

Dr Ragbir Bhathal is an award winning author and astrophysicist.  Arising from his work on national projects of significance, the National Library of Australia has created the "Dr Ragbir Bhathal Collection" which is listed on the National Bibliographic Index.  He was organizing chairman of the International Conference on SETI in the 21st Century held in Sydney in January 1998 and was guest editor of a special issue of the international journal Acta Astronautica which was devoted to SETI.  Dr. Bhathal is also the co-chair for this conference.  He is the Director of the OZ OSETI project and was Foundation Chairman of the SETI Australia Centre.

Principal Author Affiliation

OZ OSETI Project, University of Western Sydney
University of Western Sydney, PO Box 555
Campbelltown, Sydney , NSW 2560
Australia
Phone: 61 2 4620 3010
Fax: 61 2 4620 3025
Email: r.bhathal@uws.edu.au