Aliens from outer space have landed on Earth, and you’ve been selected as our planet’s ambassador to welcome them. What’s your opener?

Humans are endlessly curious about the universe, but as a species, we understand reality through the stories we tell each other about the world around us. For centuries now, we’ve been telling ourselves stories—both positive and negative—about what it would be like to encounter otherworldly beings. We’re eager to learn from you, but you should know that everyone you meet here will see you first through that lens.

—Michelle Turner, SIS/BA ’96, is exhibits researcher at the Mystic Seaport Museum and coauthor of the 2021 paper “I’m Not Saying It Was Aliens.”
 

Human beings are paradoxical: We are full­ of kindness and love, but we also possess the ability to commit atrocities and cause suffering. But our past should never define our future. With your arrival, we hope the realization that we are not alone will not only help us to peacefully coexist with you in the universe, but also bring about peace on Earth. 

—Kasper Zeuthen, SOC/MA ’97, is vice president of communications at the US Chamber of Commerce.
 

Dash, dot, dot dash, dot dot, dot dash dash, dot dash dot, dot dot dash, dot dot dot. In other words, I would count from zero to seven in binary, since math is the universal language. Once we have numbers settled, we can get on to more important things—like what kinds of new sandwiches they can share with us.



—CAS professor Nathan Harshman is chair of the physics department and director of the DC Space Grant Consortium, sponsored by NASA.
 

Can you share the technology behind the power source of your interstellar craft? My guess is vacuum energy, but whatever the mechanism, it would make oil and even nuclear power instantly obsolete and provide all of humanity with virtually free energy—thus saving the entire planet from the impending climate disaster. Next, I would invite my new interplanetary pals to attend AlienCon 2023 with me. There’s no better place to meet humanity than at the biggest gathering of alien fans—the people who’ve believed in them all along.

—Noel Klingler, CAS/BS ’12, is an astrophysicist and a postdoctoral scientist at NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.
 

We are humanity: We may appear different on the outside, but inside, we are the same. We all value our safety, health, children, and future. We have a painful history with colonization—so while you are welcome to visit, we ask that you practice “Leave No Trace” while you’re here and depart from us in peace.
 
—Victoria Gibney, SPA/PhD ’25, is communications manager of the PhD Student Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
 

The first question is figuring out how to communicate. Perhaps they have done the hard work already, learning our language before they landed; in that case I’d ask them where they come from and what they are hoping to learn in contacting us. Hopefully then we can start negotiating about cultural exchange, or, bluntly, knowledge they might give us about the universe—maybe in return they might find some of our art or music appealing? None of our natural science is likely to interest them. On the other hand, if they don’t yet speak our language, the most important thing we can do is not to militarize the situation and deliberately or inadvertently initiate hostilities. As ambassador I would not want to start off apologizing for an act of violence.
 
—SIS professor Patrick Thaddeus Jackson is director of the AU Honors program.