The SETI Institute is a private, non-profit organization based in northern California, dedicated to the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The mission of the SETI Institute is “to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe.” The scientists and staff at the institute conduct research in SETI methods and astrobiology, and run programs to educate students and the general public about these and other topics in astronomy and science. The institute and its scientists helped create the Allen Telescope Array, a radio telescope facility that uses a large number of small radio dishes to conduct astronomical observations for many scientific projects, including SETI.