An exciting night of talks on how people are using microscopes to explore outer space.

About this Event

Using Microscopes to Discover Extraterrestrial Life

Find out how microscopes are being designed to detect extraterrestrial life in our solar system with physicist Jay Nadeau.

Hunting for Micrometeorites on Rooftops

Learn how to search for and photograph microscopic pebbles that land on Earth from outer space with amateur scientist Scott Peterson.

Speakers:

Jay Nadeau

Associate Professor of Physics, Portland State University

Jay received a PhD in theoretical nuclear physics from the University of Minnesota in 1996, then learned biophysics as a postdoc in Henry Lester’s lab at Caltech. After 2 years in the Jet Propulsion Lab’s Center for Life Detection, she became a professor at McGill University in Montreal, receiving tenure in 2009. She has been at PSU since 2017.

Scott Peterson

Micrometeorite Hunter & Amateur Scientist

Scott Peterson is a father, a husband, a veteran, and an amateur scientist. In 2017 he became one of the first humans to find urban micrometeorites. With over 2,000 finds it has now become an obsession.