Hoover NSF video reveals 'extremophiles'

Richard Hoover, winner of the 2009 SPIE Gold Medal of the Society, leads off a new series of National Science Foundation (NSF) video programs called Science Nation. The feature on Hoover's team's work, released 1 June, focuses on what can be learned from "extremophiles": organisms that can live and thrive in frozen deserts or steaming-hot volcanic vents. Hoover is Astrobiology Group Leader at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Hunstville, Alabama.

The series will examine scientific breakthroughs and the possibilities for new discoveries, said Jeff Nesbit, director of NSF's Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. "We are pleased to be able to educate and engage the American public about to educate and engage the American public about the diverse range of NSF-funded cutting-edge research that is going on every day." 

Upcoming shows will cover topics including tornadoes, hydrogen cars, artificial-retina research, Greenland ice cores, and cleaning up rural China.

See the feature on Hoover's research ("Extremophile hunter") and read more on the NSF Science Nation website.

Hoover was President of SPIE in 2001, and chairs the conference on Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology at SPIE Optics and Photonics. He has been a Fellow of SPIE since 1991.