Jill Tarter

Jill Cornell Tarter is an American astronomer best known for her work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Tarter is the former director of the Center for SETI Research, holding the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute. In 2002, Discover magazine recognized her as one of the 50 most important women in science.

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Jill Tarter to receive Inaugural Tarter Award for Innovation in the search for life beyond earth - EurekAlert

In the movie Contact, the main character was inspired by SETI astronomer Jill Tarter. When asked "Are we alone?" she responds: "Eventually, if we explore until we are too fatigued to do it anymore, we might have to accept the conclusion that we are alone. But that is a momentous conclusion."