About This Event
VENUE DIRECTIONS
Are we alone in the universe? Almost definitely not - but what evidence is there for this claim?
Join for a series of talks by researchers, scientists and engineers actively working in the area of extra-terrestrial intelligence and the search for life beyond the earth.
Speakers include:
Avi Loeb, Frank B. Baird Jr Professor of science at Harvard University and Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Center of Astrophysics
Matthew Szydagis, Professor of Physics at University of Albany SUNY where he studies particle astrophysics, dark matter and rare event detection, with over 100 peer reviewed publications.
Ben Kugielsky who has over a decade in Systems Engineering in aerospace and defense systems and actively develops UAP monitoring hardware and equipment.
Speakers
Avi Loeb
Director of the Institute for Theory & Computation, Harvard University
Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University and a bestselling author (in lists of the New York Times,Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, L'Express and more). He received a PhD in Physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel at age 24 (1980- 1986), led the first international project supported by the Strategic Defense Initiative (1983-1988), and was subsequently a long-term member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (1988-1993). Loeb has written 9 books, including most recently, Extraterrestrial and Interstellar, as well as over a thousand scientific papers (with h-index of 130 and i10-index of 615) on a wide range of topics, including black holes, the first stars, the search for extraterrestrial life and the future of the Universe. Loeb is the Director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (2007- present) within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and also serves as the Head of the Galileo Project (2021-present). He had been the longest serving Chair of Harvard's Department of Astronomy (2011-2020) and the Founding Director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative (2016-2021). He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. Loeb is a former member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) at the White House, a former chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies (2018-2021) and a current member of the Advisory Board for "Einstein: Visualize the Impossible" of the Hebrew University. He chaired the Advisory Committee for the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative (2015-2024) and served as the Science Theory Director for all Initiatives of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In 2012, TIME magazine selected Loeb as one of the 25 most influential people in space and in 2020 Loeb was selected among the 14 most inspiring Israelis of the last decade. In 2024, Loeb was ranked number 3 in publication record and impact of research among all astronomers worldwide over the past 5 years by ScholarGPS. Loeb’s latest TED talk was among the top five most popular TED talks in 2024.
Matthew Szydagis
Associate Professor, University at Albany
Dr. Matthew Szydagis received his B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago, then worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Davis. Since 2014 he has been at the University at Albany SUNY, where he is now an Associate Professor of Physics. He studies experimental particle astrophysics, in particular direct detection of dark matter, and also conducts general detector development for rare event searches. He is the inventor of the NEST (Noble Element Simulation Technique) software, inventor of the lithium-compound-based small-scale neutron-activation reactor, and co-inventor of the snowball chamber, which uses supercooled water for particle detection. He has published well over 100 peer-reviewed publications and given over 200 talks around the world. He was inspired by Star Trek: The Next Generation as a child to become a scientist, and has always been fascinated by UAP. He is a member of both the SCU as well as UAPx.
Ben Kugielsky
Systems Engineer; UAPx, UAPx
Ben Kugielsky is a systems engineer at UAPx, an organization focused on the scientific investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), where he leads efforts in system design, data analysis, and field research. With a background in aerospace engineering and as a certified private pilot, he has contributed to advancing UAP detection technologies through practical engineering applications. His notable achievements include participating in UAP field investigations and developing sensor systems for anomaly detection. Kugielsky's expertise lies in aerospace systems, aviation, and interdisciplinary research on emerging phenomena, making him a key figure in private sector UAP studies.
