Ocean Meets Cosmos: REU Students Discover Clues to Life Among California’s Coastal Wonders

At the SETI Institute, our mission is "to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe", and to that end, we invite a select group of undergraduate students to participate in research every summer. During this year's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, we are proud to welcome twelve aspiring scientists to our office in Mountain View. Each student has a mentor whose research they assist with, getting a breadth of experience in how to read about, conduct, write about, and present scientific findings.

As an extension of the REU program, students participate in several off-site field trips to learn about our environment and discover new ways of viewing the world, life, and intelligence. This summer's cohort recently embarked on a scientist- and chaperone-led trip down the California coast, from Half Moon Bay to Big Sur, where they explored tide pools, pebble beaches, geologic formations, sandy dunes, and redwood forests. Trip leaders asked the students to think about life and intelligence—and how to recognize both—while they explored some of our state's wonderful natural sites.