A flash across the night sky can spark a question about the possibility of life beyond earth, and Iowa State is bringing some answers about extraterrestrial life to campus. Next week, Iowa State will host a lecture series called “Extraterrestrial Life: Scientific and Human Implications,” which will focus on various aspects of science and the humanities. The lectures will be free and open to the public. The mystery of extraterrestrial life interests people outside of the science professions, said Alfred Kracher, geological and atmospheric assistant scientist. “Advances and discoveries on extraterrestrials and astronomy are exciting, not just from a scientific standpoint, but from a philosophical standpoint as well,” he said. A diversified schedule of lecturers, who vary in profession from journalists to physicists, will offer differing outlooks, Kracher said. The lecture series originated from an honors seminar on science and religion that was started in the fall of 1998, said Kracher, who was the honors class leader. The class dealt specifically with the existence of extraterrestrials in relation to human perspective, he said. Kracher has since taken the honors seminar and developed it into a lecture series with a grant from the Templeton Foundation, which was founded to support the cooperative development of science and religion, he said. The honors seminar was given a Science and Religion Course Award from the Center for Theology and Natural Sciences, and was also granted funding for the award, said David Wilson, professor of history. “The history department is involved with the conference to bring ideas about extraterrestrial life studies into a historical and humanity-related perspective,” he said. Wilson and Kracher both have won awards for their efforts in science and religion courses. The Iowa Space Grant Consortium, a division of NASA, also partially funds the lecture series, along with the history, physics, astronomy, geological and atmospheric sciences departments. More funding was provided by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body. The lecture series will kick off 8 p.m. Monday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. Subsequent lectures will be held Sept. 27, 28 and 29. On Sept. 29, there will be a related workshop aimed at educators in the various fields represented. Although it is designed for teachers, it is open to the public and free of charge. A breakfast and lunch also will be provided at the workshop.