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One of the world's leading astronomers will do his best to answer this question when he addresses Western Australian school students at The University of Western Australia on Thursday, August 20.

Professor Charley Lineweaver, from the Australian National University, will give the 2009 Australian Institute of Physics De Laeter Youth Lecture, organised annually by the WA Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics.  He will also deliver a public lecture at UWA's Social Sciences Lecture Theatre at 6pm on Wednesday, August 19.

Coordinator of the Australian National University's Planetary Science Institute, Professor Lineweaver holds a joint appointment as an associate professor in the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Research School of Earth Sciences.

"The universe is a very big place, possibly infinitely big.  So, there are plenty of possibilities for life to originate and evolve," Professor Lineweaver said.

"We would like to know the answer to the question ‘Are we alone?' Although we have not found any direct evidence for aliens, Hollywood keeps showing us what we hope for and what we are afraid of.  I will discuss the real but indirect scientific evidence that we do have for trying to answer the question."

The De Laeter Youth Lecture is named in honour of Emeritus Professor John De Laeter, of Curtin University of Technology, one of Western Australia's most noted scientists who has also had an enormous impact on education in Western Australia.

For further information email:  [email protected] or call 6488 5543 or 6488 3917, or go to: https://wa.aip.org.au/

WHAT: De Laeter Youth Lecture

WHEN: Thursday August 20, 2009, 1.00pm - 2.00pm

WHERE: Octagon Theatre, UWA (off Mounts Bay Road, main entrance, carpark 1 or carpark 23, off Hackett Drive)

Media references

Professor Charley Lineweaver (ANU)  (+61 2)  6125 0822
Jenni Wallis (UWA Life and Physical Sciences)  (+61 8)  6488 3263
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716