About 300 people crowded into the 197-seat Molecular Biology lecture hall on Tuesday to listen to the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the SETI Institute speak about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Drake, professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has dedicated his life to the search for life beyond Earth through many organizations including the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute.

Dominique Lipscomb, freshman in pre-business, wanted to know what would happen if life were discovered on other planets, and why the search continued.

Drake said there were as many answers as people in the room.

Almost everyone considers it a great adventure to be able to meet other intelligent creatures of the universe. Others of us are philosophers and want to understand where we fit into the hierarchy of life; what is the significance of being human? Some want to learn new technologies to better the standard of living on Earth.Œ

Although no communication has been established with other life forms, researchers have discovered other worlds light-years away. Most scientists believe the search is worthwhile, Drake said.

Experiments have shown that to have life, only three things are needed ¢ water, organic chemicals and a source of energy.

Life seems inevitable,Πhe said.

By his calculations, he estimates one in every 10 million stars has a civilization. The search for these cultures is not quite as simple as the calculations.

People would need to use a telescope with a five-mile diameter to see these civilizations from Earth, he said. And if they wanted to travel there with current technology, people would have to wait at least 30 million years.

So we must turn to the antics of [Star Trek¡s] Captain Spock and Captain Kirk to beam us up,Œ Drake said.

SETI has found that sending information via satellite is the most efficient method of communication. Telegraphing across the galaxy for a dollar¡s worth of electricity is a much better deal,Œ he said.

The signal strength of today¡s satellite radio transmitters can outshine the sun about a million times, and the $4 million radio receivers provide the possibility of one billion frequency channels.

Scientists at the Institute are also looking into optical technology as a way to communicate.

Since the government does not fund these projects, they are sponsored by private gifts.