Solitude in the Cosmos: Looking for Friends in the Great Cosmic Dark

Name: Solitude in the Cosmos: Looking for Friends in the Great Cosmic Dark
Start: 2026-02-12T19:00:00-07:00
End: 2026-02-12T21:00:00-07:00
Location: weber county library-pleasant valley branch

Schedule

Thu Feb 12 2026 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

weber county library-pleasant valley branch | Ogden, UT

Join us for a presentation by Dr. Shane Larson Professor of Physics and Director of Integrated Engineering and Applied Science Projects at Clarkson University.
Whether or not we are alone in the vastness of space is one of the greatest unresolved questions facing humanity.
Is there life elsewhere in the Cosmos?
Or, does Earth harbor the only life?
Either way, the implications can be both staggering and terrifying. How might these questions be answered? Are we alone?
How would you recognize extraterrestrial life? Would we be able to communicate with intelligent life not of the Earth?
In this talk, Professor Larson will explore some of the dramatic implications of the central question:
Are we alone in the Cosmos?
Dr. Larson's research focuses on gravitational wave astrophysics, compact stars, binaries, and our galaxy using both the ground-based LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and the forthcoming space-based LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna). An award-winning teacher and Fellow of the American Physical Society, Dr. Larson is also an avid amateur astronomer. He was the featured speaker at ASTROCON 2025 at Bryce Canyon National Park last June.