METI International
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI)
Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)
Where we work
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of observatories in Optical SETI network.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Optical Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)
Context Notes
Network of modest-sized Optical SETI observatories searching for brief but powerful laser signals from extraterrestrial civilizations (http://meti.org/optical-seti)
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
METI International has two broad goals, with three specific objectives for each of these goals as follows:
Goal 1: Develop and implement innovative METI and SETI strategies and supporting activities.
• Objective 1.1: Initiate an ongoing project in Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI).
• Objective 1.2: Establish globally distributed optical SETI network.
• Objective 1.3: Establish METI International as the world's leader in interstellar message design.
Goal 2: Conduct an integrated analysis of the final three terms of the Drake Equation, including discussion of sustainability and the future of life.
• Objective 2.1: Use the Drake Equation to communicate to the international scholarly community and general audiences the breadth of topics encompassed by astrobiology.
• Objective 2.2: Establish METI International as a leader in multidisciplinary research comparing communication and intelligence across species.
• Objective 2.3: Foster multigenerational perspectives on astrobiology that emphasize sustainability.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
On August 19, 2015, METI International's Board of Directors adopted a strategic plan that identifies the organization's overarching goals and specific objectives through which it will carry out its mission as a scientific, educational, and charitable organization. An amended version was adopted by METI International's Board of Directors on February 3, 2016. This plan clearly articulates the rationale for each objective, and it identifies specific implementation steps the organization can take to accomplish each objective. The full strategic plan may be read at (http://meti.org/strategic-plan-0).
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The officers and directors of METI International are widely recognized as experts for their contributions to Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI), the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), astrobiology, and space exploration from multiple disciplinary perspectives in the natural and social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. These officers and directors play a central role in identifying potential collaborators to advance METI International's programs.
For example, METI International's past and present research in Optical SETI has focused on recruiting serious amateur astronomers for a global observing network (Strategic Plan Implementation 1.2.1). Confirmed observatories as the project begins are the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory, located three miles from Boquete, Panama (http://optical-seti.org/) and the Owl Observatory, located on Keweenaw Peninsula in northern Michigan (http://owlobservatory.com/). Marlin Schuetz, Director of the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory and a member of METI International's Advisory Council, will lead the development and implementation of a process to train serious amateur astronomers and professional astronomers who would become eligible to join this global network. As additional observatories in Europe and beyond are added to the network, with guidance from METI International Vice President Dr. Alan Penny and Director Dr. David Dunér, participating astronomers will develop a protocol for real-time follow-up of candidate signals detected, which will guide the coordination of the network's observatories as they seek to confirm whether candidate signals located at one site can be detected at other observatories (Strategic Plan Implementation 1.2.4). Results of these studies will be reported in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at scientific conferences, such as annual meetings of the International Academy of Astronautics, regularly attended by METI International Directors Dr. Jacques Arnould, Dr. Jill Stuart, and Dr. Douglas Vakoch. The first scientific paper based on SETI observations at the Boquete Observatory has been published in the peer-reviewed journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have made significant progress in several objectives identified in our strategic plan, most notably Objectives 1.2, 2.1, and 2.2. We have begun to accomplish each of these objectives through the following implementation steps:
Objective 1.2: Establish globally distributed optical SETI network.
• Implementation 1.2.2: Launch summer internship program for graduate and undergraduate science and engineering students to contribute to the development of the Boquete Optical SETI Observatory in Panama (http://optical-seti.org).
• Implementation 1.2.3: Communicate to the general public about METI International's optical SETI work through such activities as podcasts, YouTube videos, Google Hangouts, and interviews.
Objective 2.1: Use the Drake Equation to communicate to the international scholarly community and general audiences the breadth of topics encompassed by astrobiology.
• Implementation 2.1.1: Conduct audio and video interviews with experts on various terms of the Drake Equation for educational use through podcasts, YouTube videos, and exhibits in observatories and science museums.
Objective 2.2: Establish METI International as a leader in multidisciplinary research comparing communication and intelligence across species.
• Implementation 2.2.1: Initiate research and workshops on the evolution of cognition, intelligence, and language, to understand better Drake Equation factor f-sub-i, the fraction of life-bearing worlds on which intelligence evolves.
• Implementation 2.2.2: Organize a workshop to identify insights from studies of non-human intelligence and interspecies communication that may help guide METI and SETI search strategies.
In the future, we will place additional focus on implementation steps from three of the organization's other objectives:
Objective 1.1: Initiate an ongoing project in Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI).
Objective 1.3: Establish METI International as the world's leader in interstellar message design.
Objective 2.3: Foster multigenerational perspectives on astrobiology that emphasize sustainability.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
METI International
Board of directorsas of 12/21/2018
Dr. Douglas Vakoch
Dr. Douglas Vakoch
METI International
Dr. Alan Penny
METI International
Dr. Steven J. Dick
METI International
Ms. Dalia Rawson
METI International
Dr. Jacques Arnould
METI International
Dr. Jerome H. Barkow
METI International
Dr. Kim Binsted
METI International
Dr. David Dunér
METI International
Dr. Abhik Gupta
METI International
Dr. Florence Raulin Cerceau
METI International
Dr. Jill Stuart
METI International
Dr. John Traphagan
METI International