Astrophyiscs professor Adam Burrows, director of the new program, explained that a number of students were interested in exploring the potential for life on other planets, a topic that is garnering increasing attention nationally, internationally and locally.
“Biology is experiencing a great renaissance,” Burrows said, adding that “there are a lot of people making this the focus of their scientific work ... It’s the fastest growing field in astronomy.”
He explained that there has been an “explosion” of knowledge in astrobiology in recent years, noting that more than 500 planets have been discovered outside the solar system.
Students pursuing the certificate must take the core course, AST/CHM/EEB/GEO 255: Life in the Universe. The course is taught by ecology and evolutionary biology professor Laura Landweber, geosciences professor Tullis Onstott and astrophysics professor Edwin Turner.
“Who ISN’T interested in the question of whether there is life elsewhere in the universe (and how life began on Earth)?” Landweber said in an e-mail.
AST 255 is an introduction to astrobiology and explores topics like the origin of life on Earth and the possibility of extraterrestrial life on Mars and Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.
Landweber said that former students of AST 255 pushed for the creation of the new certificate program, adding that some of these students also started the Astrobiology Club. The club organizes occasional movie nights, hosts talks by astronauts and scientists, and holds star-gazing parties on top of Peyton Hall.
Students pursuing the certificate must also take four other cognate courses, participate in a Planets and Life undergraduate colloquium, and involve astrobiology in their junior- and senior-year independent work.
The program is interdisciplinary, allowing students to take cognate courses in nine departments: astrophysics, chemistry, ecology and evolutionary biology, geosciences, molecular biology, mechanical and aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, chemical and biological engineering, and computer science.
Part of the program’s appeal is its interdisciplinary nature, Burrows said. The courses will be “provocative” and will focus on topics at the interface between disciplines that are usually very isolated, he added.
“Students will be better equipped to be actors in emerging disciplines in years to come,” Burrows said. “It will provide students with a rigorous scientific context beyond TV shows.”
Burrows said he believes the certificate’s creation is well-timed, in light of recent developments in the field.
“There are a lot more tools and a lot more people to address this fundamental question of the origin of life,” he said.
Read More
Princeton boosts financial aid despite potential budget cuts, new endowment tax
Devon RudolphThe financial aid increase comes amid a rocky financial picture for many elite universities, which are confronting the loss of research federal funding and an endowment tax passed by Congress in July. It could also reduce Princeton’s tuition-paying student population.
Princeton's recent announcement of a boosted financial aid program could allow the University to be exempt from the recently passed federal endowment tax.
Town Council set to vote on immigrant sanctuary resolution following ICE raids
Justus Wilhoit and Leela HenslerThe Town Council will vote on a resolution affecting ICE cooperation at the meeting on Monday.
The Town Council will vote on a resolution affecting ICE cooperation at the meeting on Monday.
Alumni form mental health council in wake of student deaths
Luke GrippoThe council hopes to work with undergraduates to push for awareness about campus resources. At least four undergraduates at Princeton have died by suicide since 2022.
The council hopes to work with undergraduates to push for awareness about campus resources. At least four undergraduates at Princeton have died by suicide since 2022.