Professor William J. Welch Delivers Fifth Icko Iben Jr. Distinguished Lecture

The fifth Icko Iben Jr. Distinguished Lecturer is Professor William J. Welch of the University of California-Berkeley. Professor Welch is a pioneering astronomer in the field of star formation. He was involved in the development of the Michelson Interferometer Array at Hat Creek Radio Observatory, which allows astronomers to probe the interior of dark dust clouds, where star formation takes place.

Professor Welch is currently involved in the development of a new radio telescope, the One-Hectare Telescope. This instrument, a joint project with the SETI Institute, will carry out sensitive studies of the ISM and the distant universe, as well as searches for technological evidence of complex life on other planets.

For the Iben Lecture, Professor Welch gave a talk entitled, "The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" on Monday, October 28th at 4PM in Foellinger Auditorium.

About the Iben Lecture Series
Founded in 1997 and named in honor of Distinguished Professor Emeritus Icko Iben Jr., the Icko Iben Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series brings a noted astronomer to campus to highlight some of the latest developments in astronomy in a forum geared for the general public.