The Sirens of Mars: A Book Talk About Searching for Life on Another World with Sarah Stewart Johnson

Join the WashU Alumni Association for a virtual conversation with Sarah Stewart Johnson, AB ’01, author of The Sirens of Mars: Searching for Life on Another World. Raymond E. Arvidson, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor, will moderate this event.

Mars was once similar to Earth, but today there are no rivers, no lakes, no oceans. Coated in red dust, the terrain is bewilderingly empty. And yet multiple spacecraft are circling Mars, sweeping over Terra Sabaea, Syrtis Major, the dunes of Elysium, and Mare Sirenum—on the brink, perhaps, of a staggering find, one that would inspire humankind as much as any discovery in the history of modern science. In this beautifully observed and deeply personal book, Georgetown scientist and WashU alumna, Sarah Stewart Johnson, tells the story of how she and other researchers have scoured Mars for signs of life, transforming the planet from a distant point of light into a world of its own.

About Sarah Stewart Johnson:
Sarah Stewart Johnson is an assistant professor of planetary science at Georgetown University. A former Rhodes Scholar and White House Fellow, she earned her PhD from MIT and has worked on NASA’s Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity Rovers. She is also a visiting scientist with the Planetary Environments Lab at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.