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Sara Seager

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Not to be confused withSarah Seager.

Sara Seager
OC
Seager at a 2016 conference
Born(1971-07-21)21 July 1971(age 52)[3]
Toronto,Ontario,Canada[4]
NationalityCanadian–American
CitizenshipCanada–United States[3]
Alma materHarvard UniversityPhD
University of TorontoBSc
Known forSearch forextrasolar planets
SpouseCharles Darrow
Children2
AwardsOrder of Canada(2020, Officer)
MacArthur Fellowship(2013)
Helen B. Warner Prize(2007)
Harvard Book Prize in Astronomy (2004)
NSERCScience and TechnologyFellowship(1990–1994)
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy,Planetary science
InstitutionsMassachusetts Institute of Technology(2007–)
Carnegie Institution of Washington(2002–2006)
Institute for Advanced Study(1999–2002)
ThesisExtrasolar giant planets under strong stellar irradiation(1999)
Doctoral advisorDimitar Sasselov[1][2]
Websiteseagerexoplanets.mit.edu
External videos
video iconSara Seager, “The search for planets beyond our solar system”,TED2015
video icon“Space Experts Discuss the Search for Life in the Universe at NASA”,NASA 2014
video icon“Sara Seager”,Origins 2011

Sara SeagerOC(born 21 July 1971) is a Canadian–Americanastronomerandplanetary scientist.[4]She is a professor at theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyand is known for her work onextrasolar planetsand their atmospheres. She is the author of two textbooks on these topics,[5][6]and has been recognized for her research byPopular Science,[7]Discover Magazine,[8]Nature,[9]andTIME Magazine.[10]Seager was awarded aMacArthur Fellowshipin 2013 citing her theoretical work on detecting chemical signatures onexoplanetatmospheres and developing low-cost space observatories to observeplanetary transits.[11]

Background[edit]

Seager was born inToronto,Ontario,Canada, and isJewish.[4][12][13]Her father, David Seager, who lost his hair when he was 19 years old, was a pioneer and one of the world's leaders inhair transplantationand the founder of the Seager Hair Transplant Center in Toronto.[4][14]

She earned herBScdegree inMathematicsandPhysicsfrom theUniversity of Torontoin 1994, assisted by a NSERC University Undergraduate Student Research Award,and aPhDinastronomyfromHarvard Universityin 1999. Her doctoral thesis developed theoretical models ofatmosphereson extrasolar planets and was supervised byDimitar Sasselov.[1][2][15]

She held apostdoctoral researchfellow position at theInstitute for Advanced Studybetween 1999 and 2002 and a senior research staff member at theCarnegie Institution of Washingtonuntil 2006. She joined theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyin January 2007 as an associate professor in both physics and planetary science, was granted tenure in July 2007,[16]and was elevated to full professor in July 2010.[17]She currently holds the "Class of 1941" chair.[3]

She was elected a Legacy Fellow of theAmerican Astronomical Societyin 2020.[18]

She is married to Charles Darrow and they have two sons from her first marriage. Her first spouse, Michael Wevrick, died of cancer in 2011.[19][20]

Academic research[edit]

Seager talking about exoplanets

Seager's research has been primarily directed toward the discovery and analysis ofexoplanets;in particular her work is centered around ostensibly rareearth analogs,leadingNASAto dub her "an astronomical Indiana Jones."[21]Seager used the term "gas dwarf" for a high-masssuper-Earth-type planet composed mainly ofhydrogenandheliumin an animation of one model of the exoplanetGliese 581c.The term "gas dwarf" has also been used to refer to planets smaller thangas giants,with thick hydrogen and helium atmospheres.[22][23]Together withMarc Kuchner,Seager had predicted the existence ofcarbon planets.[24]

Seager has been the chair of the NASA Science and Technology Definition team for a proposed mission, "Starshade",[25]to launch a free-flyingocculting disk,used to block the light from a distant star in order for a telescope to be able to resolve the (much dimmer) light from an accompanying exoplanet located in the habitable zone of the star.[26]

In years since 2020, Sara has been focusing on work related to Venus, with the potential discovery ofphosphine,abiosignaturegas, in the upper atmosphere.[27]

Seager equation[edit]

Seager developed a parallel version of theDrake equationto estimate the number of habitable planets in the Galaxy.[28]Instead of aliens with radio technology, Seager has revised the Drake equation to focus on simply the presence of any alien life detectable from Earth. The equation focuses on the search for planets with biosignature gases, gases produced by life that can accumulate in a planet atmosphere to levels that can be detected with remote space telescopes.[28]

where:

  • N= the number of planets with detectable signs of life
  • N* = the number of stars observed
  • FQ= the fraction of stars that are quiet
  • FHZ= the fraction of stars with rocky planets in the habitable zone
  • FO= the fraction of stars with observable planets
  • FL= the fraction of planets that have life
  • FS= the fraction of life forms that produce planetary atmospheres with one or more detectable signature gases

Asteria Spacecraft[edit]

Seager was the principal investigator of theAsteria(Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics) spacecraft,[29]a 6-Ucubesatdesigned to do precisionphotometryto search for extrasolar planets, a collaborative project between MIT and NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory.ASTERIA was launched into low Earth orbit from theInternational Space Stationon 20 November 2017, and successfully operated until its orbital decay on 24 April 2020.

Venus Life Finder[edit]

In 2020, Seager led a team proposing a missionVenus Life Finder,[30]a small spacecraft to investigate the possibility of life in the atmosphere of Venus.[31]The mission will be a privately-funded spacecraft to be launched byRocket Labon theElectronrocket[32]with a target launch date of January 2025.

Honors and awards[edit]

Seager was awarded the 2012Sackler Prizefor "analysis of the atmospheres and internal compositions of extra-solar planets,"[33]theHelen B. Warner Prizefrom theAmerican Astronomical Societyin 2007 for developing "fundamental techniques for understanding, analyzing, and finding the atmospheres of extrasolar planets,"[34]and the 2004 Harvard Book Prize in Astronomy.[35]She was appointed as a fellow to theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Sciencein 2012 and elected to theRoyal Astronomical Society of Canadaas an honorary member in 2013.[3]In September 2013 she became aMacArthur Fellow.[36]She was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Societyin 2018.[37]She was the Elizabeth R. Laird Lecturer atMemorial University of Newfoundlandin 2018.[38]On 19 August 2020 Seager appeared on theLex Fridman Podcast(#116).[39]

In 2020, she was appointed as an Officer of theOrder of Canada.[40]She won the 2020Los Angeles TimesPrize for Science and TechnologyforThe Smallest Lights in the Universe.[41]

She was an honorary graduand at her Alma Mater, theUniversity of TorontoSpring 2023 Convocation.[42]

In 2024, Seager was awarded theKavli Prizein Astrophysics.[43]


Publications[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Deming, Drake; Seager, Sara (2003). Deming, Drake; Seager, Sara (eds.).Scientific Frontiers in Research on Extrasolar Planets.ASP Conference Proceedings (Volume 294). Vol. 294. San Francisco.Bibcode:2003ASPC..294.....D.ISBN1-58381-141-9.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Seager, Sara (2010).Exoplanet Atmospheres: Physical Processes.Princeton University Press.ISBN9781400835300.
  • Seager, Sara (2010).Exoplanets.University of Arizona Press.ISBN978-0-8165-2945-2.
  • Seager, Sara (2020).The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir.Crown.ISBN978-0-5255-7625-9.

Journal articles[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abBack to the thesis: Sara SeageronYouTube
  2. ^abSmith, Kerri; Baker, Noah (2016)."Back to the thesis: Late nights, typos, self-doubt and despair. Francis Collins, Sara Seager and Uta Frith dust off their theses, and reflect on what the PhD was like for them".Nature.535(7610): 22–25.Bibcode:2016Natur.535...22S.doi:10.1038/535022a.PMID27383967.
  3. ^abcd"Curricula Vitae – Professor Sara Seager"(PDF).2013.Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved25 September2013.
  4. ^abcdJones, Chris (7 December 2016)."The Woman Who Might Find Us Another Earth".The New York Times Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2021.Retrieved8 December2016.
  5. ^Seager, Sara (2010).Exoplanet Atmospheres: Physical Processes.Princeton University Press.ISBN9781400835300.
  6. ^Seager, Sara (2010).Exoplanets.University of Arizona Press.ISBN978-0-8165-2945-2.
  7. ^"The Fifth Annual Brilliant 10: Worms, planets, extra dimensions: just a few of the things that inspire the most creative young scientists of the year".Popular Science.13 September 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 21 January 2021.Retrieved30 March2021.
  8. ^Witman, Sarah; Grant, Andrew; Svoboda, Elizabeth (20 November 2008)."20 Best Brains Under 40: Young innovators are changing everything from theoretical mathematics to cancer therapy".Discover.Archivedfrom the original on 9 November 2020.Retrieved20 March2021.
  9. ^Hand, Eric (21 December 2011)."Sara Seager: Planet seeker".Nature.480(7378): 437–45.doi:10.1038/480437a.PMID22193082.
  10. ^Bjerklie, David (2012)."The 25 Most Influential People in Space"(PDF).Time.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 May 2013.
  11. ^"MacArthur Fellows: Meet the Class of 2013: Sara Seager".MacArthur Foundation.25 September 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 21 January 2021.Retrieved25 September2013.
  12. ^Cohen, Anne (27 September 2013)."Four Jews Win MacArthur 'Genius' Awards".The Forward.Archivedfrom the original on 29 October 2020.Retrieved30 March2021.
  13. ^Dashefsky, Arnold; Sheskin, Ira (2014).American Jewish Year Book 2014: The Annual Record of the North American Jewish Communities.Springer. p. 868.ISBN978-3-319-09623-0.Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2020.Retrieved10 June2017.
  14. ^Michael D. Lemonick (2012).Mirror Earth: The Search for Our Planet's Twin.Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 65.ISBN978-0-8027-7902-1.Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2020.Retrieved10 June2017.
  15. ^Seager, Sara (1999).Extrasolar giant planets under strong stellar irradiation(PhD thesis). Harvard University.Bibcode:1999PhDT........18S.OCLC43085140.ProQuest304503987.
  16. ^"MIT Corporation grants tenure to 50 faculty".MIT News Office. 14 November 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2020.Retrieved30 March2021.
  17. ^"Corporation announces faculty promotions and appointments".MIT News Office. 29 December 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 28 September 2020.Retrieved30 March2021.
  18. ^"AAS Fellows".American Astronomical Society.Archivedfrom the original on 18 March 2021.Retrieved30 September2020.
  19. ^Seager, Sara (14 January 2013)."So Many Exoplanets... So Few Women Scientists".The Huffington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 3 October 2013.Retrieved25 September2013.
  20. ^"Obituary: Michael Wevrick".Ottawa Citizen.13 August 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2013.Retrieved25 September2013.
  21. ^Rodriguez, Joshua (3 October 2008)."On a quest for astronomy's holy grail".NASA.Archivedfrom the original on 19 February 2022.Retrieved12 June2017.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  22. ^"Of Gas Dwarfs and Waterworlds".Celestiaforum. 15 June 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 4 July 2011.Retrieved25 October2010.
  23. ^"StarGen – Solar System Generator".2003.Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2010.Retrieved25 October2010.
  24. ^"Exoplanet Interior Composition".Sara Seager.Retrieved26 February2024.
  25. ^Kramer, Miriam (March 24, 2014). "Incredible Technology: Giant Starshade Could Help Find an Alien Earth ",Space.com.Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  26. ^Grossman, Lisa (25 September 2013). "NASA revives Starshade to let Earth-like worlds shine ",New Scientist.Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  27. ^Anderson, Paul Scott (2020)."Possible life signs in the clouds of Venus".EarthSky.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2021.Retrieved26 August2021.
  28. ^abPowell, Devin (4 September 2013)."The Drake Equation Revisited: Interview with Planet Hunter Sara Seager".Astrobiology Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on 25 February 2021.Retrieved30 March2021.
  29. ^Seager, Sara (Jan/Feb. 2021). "My satellite would fit in a small suitcase. But it could help us find other worlds"(excerpt from bookThe Smallest Lights in the Universe(2020).)MIT News,pp. 12-17. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  30. ^"Venus Life Finder Mission Study"(PDF).Venus Cloud Life.MIT.10 December 2021. pp. 15–23.Retrieved20 May2023.
  31. ^""Newer, nimbler, faster:" Venus probe will search for signs of life in clouds of sulfuric acid ".MIT.10 December 2021.Retrieved20 May2023.
  32. ^"Rocket Lab Probe".Venus Cloud Life.MIT.7 March 2023.Retrieved10 April2023.
  33. ^"Sara Seager Named Co-Winner of the 2012 Sackler Prize".MIT News Office. 18 April 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2013.Retrieved25 September2013.
  34. ^"Helen B. Warner Prize".American Astronomical Society.5 February 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 8 February 2007.Retrieved11 April2007.
  35. ^"Bok Prize Recipients".Harvard UniversityDepartment of Astronomy.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2012.Retrieved12 December2012.
  36. ^"Sara Seager: Astrophysicist | Class of 2013".MacArthur Foundation.15 September 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 4 September 2019.Retrieved13 September2019.
  37. ^"Election of New Members at the 2018 Spring Meeting".American Philosophical Society.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2019.Retrieved2 June2018.
  38. ^Foss, Kelly (20 September 2018)."Holy Grail".Gazette – Memorial University of Newfoundland.Archivedfrom the original on 7 July 2019.Retrieved7 July2019.
  39. ^"#116 – Sara Seager: Search for Planets and Life Outside Our Solar System".Lex Fridman.16 August 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 24 October 2020.Retrieved1 April2021.
  40. ^"Governor General Announces 114 New Appointments to the Order of Canada".Governor General of Canada.27 November 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2021.Retrieved30 March2021.
  41. ^Pineda, Dorany (17 April 2021)."Winners of the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prizes announced".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 17 April 2021.Retrieved17 April2021.
  42. ^"Spring 2023 Convocation".15 June 2023.
  43. ^"Home".www.kavliprize.org.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2024.Retrieved12 June2024.

External links[edit]

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