Draft Program
TIME AMAZING EVENT LOCATION
NOTE: All events are in Kresge Hall unless indicated
Friday
12 PM Check-in begins at outdoor lab TBA
5:30 Shuttle from Martin Inn
6-7:00 Dinner Pavilion
7:00 First shuttle to Martin Inn
7:30 Entertainment Pavilion
9:30 Last shuttle to Martin Inn
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Saturday Morning
7:15AM First shuttle from Martin Inn
7:30-8:30 Breakfast Kresge Hall
8:15 Last shuttle from Martin Inn
8:30 Welcome (Kelly Smith)
8:45 First Keynote: Steve Dick (former NASA Chief Historian)
Cosmic Encounters with Alien Life: The Impact of Discovering Life
Beyond Earth
9:45 Coffee Break
10:00 Session 1: Philosophy of Science
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- Sean Brittain (Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University)
Planets: Where are they, what are they like, and how do they form?
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- Sean McMahon (Geology, Yale University)
Why do extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?
Understanding an essential epistemic norm in astrobiology
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- Jason Howard (Philosophy, Viterbo University)
Re-thinking Consciousness and the Astrobiology Debate
11:30-12:30 Lunch
Saturday Afternoon
12:30PM Session 2: Philosophy of Biology
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- Leonore Fleming (Philosophy, Utica College)
Teleology and Upper Directedness in Astrophysics
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- Carlos Mariscal (Philosophy, University of Nevada, Reno)
The nature of the Last Common Ancestor
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- Cole Mathis (Physics/Astrobiology, Arizona State University)
The Emergence of Life as a First Order Phase Transition
2:00 Coffee Break
2:15 Session 3: Connections and Patterns
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- Jonathan Trerise (Philosophy, Coastal Carolina University)
A story of impossible friendships
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- Sara Waller (Philosophy, Montana State University)
Is Talking to your Cat like Talking with ET?: Signal Exchange between
Critters and Folk
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- Kelly Smith (Philosophy/Biology, Clemson University)
Cosmic Complexity?
3:45 Coffee Break
4:00 Session 4: The Importance of Perspective
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- Bertka, Connie (Geology/Theology, Science and Society Resources)
Predicting the Societal Impact of the Discovery of ET Life: What Does
Worldview Got To Do With It?
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- Manson, Neil (Philosophy, University of Mississippi)
Anthropocentrism, Exoplanets, and the Cosmic Perspective
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- Schwartz, Jim (Philosophy, Wichita State University)
The Life Bias in Planetary Protection
5:30 Break
5:30 Shuttle to Martin Inn
6:00-7:00 Dinner Kresge
6:15 Shuttle from Martin Inn
7:00 First shuttle to Martin Inn
7:30 Entertainment Kresge
9:30 Last shuttle to Martin Inn
Sunday Morning
7:30AM First shuttle from Martin Inn
7:45-8:45 Breakfast Kresge Hall
8:30 Last shuttle from Martin Inn
8:45 Second Keynote: Sheyna Gifford, MD (NASA consultant)
Homo Astronauticus: Cultural Implications of Space Colonization
9:45 Coffee Break
10:00 Session 5: Education & Outreach
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- Margaret Race (Biology, SETI Institute)
Anticipating Future Challenges: Astrobiology Research, Policy Dilemmas
and Integration of Social & Conceptual issues in Public Decision Making.
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- Randall Hayes (Columnist/Educator, Agnosia Media)
Interactive Alien Construction as a Way to Approach Astrobiology
Education
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- Linda Billings (Communications, NASA/ National Institute of Aerospace)
Astrobiology, ET, and ETI - science and speculation
11:30-12:30 Lunch
Sunday Afternoon
12:30PM Session 6: Concepts of Life
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- Lucas Mix (Theology/Biology, Center for Theological Inquiry)
Replicator Theory: Testing Evolutionary Theories-of-Life
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- Erik Persson (Philosophy, Lund University, Sweden)
Towards a Family Resemblance Definition of ‘Life’
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- Joevenn Neo (Philosophy, Emory University)
Xeno-Astrobiology
2:00 Coffee Break
2:15 Session 7: Applied Ethics
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- Alan Johnson (Environmental Conservation, Clemson University)
Extending the Idea of Wilderness beyond Planet Earth
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- Koji Tachibana (Philosophy, Kumamoto University, Japan)
Human Life and Ethics in Outer Space
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- Mark Lupisella (Engineering/Biology, NASA Goddard Space Flight
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Center)
The Precautionary Principle?
3:45 Coffee Break
4:00 Session 8: Ethical Theory
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- Ted Peters (Theology, Pacific Lutheran Seminary)
Ten Ethical Issues for Astrobiology
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- Brian Green (Philosophy, Markkula Center at Santa Clara University) Convergences in the Ethics of Space Exploration
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- Adam Potthast (Philosophy, Park University)
Will We Have Ethical Obligations to Extra-terrestrial Life? Will it have
Obligations to us?
5:30 Break
5:30 Shuttle to Martin Inn
6:00-7:00 Dinner
6:15 Shuttle from Martin Inn
7:00 First shuttle to Martin Inn
7:30 Entertainment
9:30 Last shuttle to Martin Inn
Monday Morning
7:30AM First shuttle from Martin Inn
7:45-8:45 Breakfast Kresge Hall
8:30 Last shuttle from Martin Inn
8:45 Panel Discussion: future directions
10:15 Final Coffee Break
10:30 Shuttle to Martin Inn
11:00 Check out from outdoor lab
Shuttles to airport will run all day as needed
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