Identify and explain (in a paragraph) the most surprising or memorable bit of information you learned.
I found it interesting that scientists use radio telescopes to listen for signals from potential extraterrestrial life, and that we keep protected wavelengths to minimize interference from human-made radio sources. In particular, I thought the idea of looking at 21 cm wavelength because the universe is made of hydrogen was interesting. It would assume that intelligent life would also know that the universe is made of hydrogen and would use that for interstellar communication.
If you had conducted the interview, what unasked and/or unanswered question would you have asked, and why?
I would have asked about how Jill envisions robots will assist humans in space exploration. In the interview, Prof. Goodman and Jill agreed that we would not be moving populations to mars; rather, the more likely next step would be to send space explorers with robot assistants. As a CS major, I'm interested in learning more about what specific capabilities these robots might need - would they be using computer vision to identify samples? Reinforcement learning to "make decisions" about how to navigate unfamiliar terrain? Perform maintenance / repairs on space stations?
https://www.labxchange.org/library/items/lb:HarvardX:68789c56:lx_simulation:1