Sara Seager's influential search for planets beyond our solar system

If you met Sara Seager, you wouldn’t think she would have an intense and influential background regarding her exoplanetary research. In fact, the Canadian-American is known for her work that led to the first detection of an exoplanet atmosphere, its aspects, and a discovery of a new kind of equation crucial to today's astronomy and physics field.

Here's where it all started:

In 1994, Sara Seager received her mathematics and physics B.S degree from the University of Toronto. Continuing in 1999, she earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University in astronomy. At Harvard, she transitioned from studying the recombination of the early Universe to studying exoplanets.

Her exoplanetary research includes research that is focused on the atmospheres and interiors of exoplanets. Seager and her current research group aim to expand upon the unknown territory of transiting exoplanets, as well as working closely with NASA sponsored studies expanding upon the identification process for discovering possible Earth-like planets.

Because of Seager's extensive background in her innovative exoplanetary research, she has been recognized by TIME magazine in their 25 Most Influential in Space in 2012, Discover magazine, and other such popular scientific news sources. She was also elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2015,

One of her two most noted discoveries crucial to planetary research that is also noted amongst scientists in her field, is her parallel discovery of the Drake Equation. Her revised Drake Equation (or aka the Seager equation) has a shifted focus. The original Drake equation questioned the chances of alien civilization, whereas Sara Seager wanted to create an equation that questions what are the chances of finding a planet with a sign of life as well as what is the likelihood that we can find a planet with signs of life on it. Scientists now challenge Seager's equation since it is a parallel to the original Drake equation.

Her other noted discovery is her research that introduced new ideas into the field of exoplanetary characterization. This research led to the first detection of an exoplanet atmosphere. Sara Seager was a part of a team that was successfully able to co-discover the first aspects of the detection of light emitted from an exoplanet. From this her and her team were also able to discover the first spectrum of an exoplanet.

Talk about a pretty successful astrophysicist, I must say.

For additional information regarding Seager's successes, feel free to click these links:

Her personal biographical website:

http://seagerexoplanets.mit.edu/index.htm

An NPR interview

http://www.npr.org/2013/11/15/245435023/searching-for-earth-2-0

And her TED Talk

https://www.ted.com/talks/sara_seager_the_search_for_planets_beyond_our_solar_system/transcript?language=en