The Arnold C. Ott Lectureship in Chemistry: Life in the Cosmos - The Search for Consciousness and Biology in the Universe - Events Calendar

The Arnold C. Ott Lectureship in Chemistry: Life in the Cosmos - The Search for Consciousness and Biology in the Universe

Thursday, April 10, 2025
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Allendale Campus
Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Students

Dr. Dante Lauretta, Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona will present Life in the Cosmos. This presentation is for groups that want to be awed by the majesty of the Universe. Dr. Lauretta has spent his career unraveling the secrets of our early Solar System. He guides the audience through the four-billion-year history of life on Earth then takes them soaring through the solar system to visit ancient Mars, the deep oceans of Jupiter’s moons, and distant exoplanets. This journey involves deep questions about humanity, the nature of consciousness, and the beauty of life. The audience is left with a deep appreciation of their special place in the cosmos.

Dr. Dante Lauretta/is a Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. He is an expert in near-Earth asteroid formation and evolution. He is the leader of NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return mission. OSIRIS-REx is the United States' premier mission to visit one of the most Potentially Hazardous near-Earth Asteroids, survey it to assess its impact hazard and resource potential, understand its physical and chemical properties, and return a sample of this body to Earth for detailed scientific analysis. The spacecraft launched in September 2016 and began its journey to Bennu, a carbon-rich, near-Earth asteroid. The spacecraft rendezvoused with Bennu in 2018 and successfully obtained a sample in October 2020. The spacecraft embarked on its return voyage to Earth on May 10, 2021. Sample return to Earth occurs in 2023. He also maintains an active research program in Cosmochemistry and Meteoritics.

Reception – 5:00 pm, Lecture – 6:00 pm

Location Information

Grand River Room, 2250 Kirkhof Center

Download parking map for the Allendale Campus

Contact Information

chmdept@gvsu.edu

Hosting Department, Organization, or Business

CLAS Chemistry Department

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This event was added to the calendar by Kelli Nemetz (nemetzke@gvsu.edu) on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 and was last updated on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 8:32 a.m.