We Are Not Alone lecture series

Building on the past successes of the “Are We Alone” Lecture series organized by Tim Lyons and others at UC Riverside, the series is back in 2025, but with a different look.

The “Are We Alone” theme, started in 2017, explored the possibility of life elsewhere in our solar system and beyond. Now, because of the rapidly changing world around us, Lyons and his group have put together presentations based on the fundamental reality that those of us on Earth are never alone—and that the environmental footprint of each of us is felt far and wide.

The inaugural “We Are Not Alone” series will focus on a particularly concerning environmental challenge right in our own neighborhood—the Salton Sea.

The Salton Sea Challenge—The Big Picture

6 p.m. Jan. 30, 2025

Speaker: Distinguished Professor Timothy Lyons, UCR Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Mayhew Professor of Geo-ecology; Salton Sea Task Force

An overview of what is happening, why we should care, and why you should come to the other three lectures to hear the details. RSVP now.

Water: Salton Sea at the Crossroads of Change 

6 p.m. Feb. 19, 2025

Speaker: Caroline Hung, PhD Candidate in Biogeochemistry, UCR Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

An assessment of environmental challenges on water quality at this critical juncture for the Salton Sea. RSVP now.

Health: The Impacts of a Drying Salton Sea

6 p.m. March 20, 2025

Speaker: Emma Aronson, Associate Professor of Environmental Microbiology; UCR Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology; Salton Sea Task Force

Exploring the health impacts of dust and particulate emissions from the Salton Sea on local communities. RSVP now.

Air: What’s Blowing in the Wind at the Salton Sea?

6 p.m. April 10, 2025

Speaker: Will Porter, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Dynamics and Modeling; UCR Department of Environmental Science; director of the Salton Sea Task Force

How to address air quality changes in the increasingly dry, dusty future facing the Salton Sea basin. RSVP now.