Penelope Boston
Encyclopedia
Penelope J. Boston is a speleologist. She is associate director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute
in Carlsbad, New Mexico, and founder and director of the Cave and Karst Studies Program at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
in Socorro. Among her research interests are geomicrobiology of caves and mines, extraterrestrial speleogenesis
, and space exploration and astrobiology generally.
In the mid-1980s, Prof. Boston (then a graduate student at the University of Colorado
at Boulder) was one of the founders of the Mars Underground and helped organize a series of conferences called The Case for Mars.
She has a B.S. in microbiology, geology, and psychology, and a M.S. in microbiology and atmospheric chemistry. She completed her Ph.D. from University of Colorado at Boulder in 1985. During 2002-2004, she was Principal Investigator on the Caves of Mars Project
, which, among other things, studied the effects on mice of an atmosphere rich in Argon
, and "flat crops" that might be grown in Martian caves.
She developed the concept of small jumping robots for Mars exploration.
She gave a TEDtalk
about the likelihood of life on Mars in 2006.
Her interest in extremophiles (organisms which prefer or thrive in the extremes of altitude, cold, darkness, dryness, heat, mineralized environments, pressure, radiation, vacuum, variability, or weightlessness) which may be found in caves and karst on Earth, and should be looked for in equivalents of other objects in space from asteroids to planets, is a frequent subject of her published papers and at least one of her books.
An only child of theatrical parents, she writes poetry reflective of her world travel and uncommon speciality.
She continues to work with NASA on the Atacama Field Expedition.
In 2010 she was featured in Symphony of Science
.
in Carlsbad, New Mexico, and founder and director of the Cave and Karst Studies Program at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a university located in Socorro, New Mexico....
in Socorro. Among her research interests are geomicrobiology of caves and mines, extraterrestrial speleogenesis
Speleogenesis
Speleogenesis is the origin and development of caves, the primary process that determines essential features of the hydrogeology of karst and guides its evolution...
, and space exploration and astrobiology generally.
In the mid-1980s, Prof. Boston (then a graduate student at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
at Boulder) was one of the founders of the Mars Underground and helped organize a series of conferences called The Case for Mars.
She has a B.S. in microbiology, geology, and psychology, and a M.S. in microbiology and atmospheric chemistry. She completed her Ph.D. from University of Colorado at Boulder in 1985. During 2002-2004, she was Principal Investigator on the Caves of Mars Project
Caves of Mars Project
The Caves of Mars Project was a program funded through Phase II by the NASA Institute for Advanced Conceptsto assess the best place to situate the research and habitation modules that a manned mission to Mars would require....
, which, among other things, studied the effects on mice of an atmosphere rich in Argon
Argon
Argon is a chemical element represented by the symbol Ar. Argon has atomic number 18 and is the third element in group 18 of the periodic table . Argon is the third most common gas in the Earth's atmosphere, at 0.93%, making it more common than carbon dioxide...
, and "flat crops" that might be grown in Martian caves.
She developed the concept of small jumping robots for Mars exploration.
She gave a TEDtalk
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
about the likelihood of life on Mars in 2006.
Her interest in extremophiles (organisms which prefer or thrive in the extremes of altitude, cold, darkness, dryness, heat, mineralized environments, pressure, radiation, vacuum, variability, or weightlessness) which may be found in caves and karst on Earth, and should be looked for in equivalents of other objects in space from asteroids to planets, is a frequent subject of her published papers and at least one of her books.
An only child of theatrical parents, she writes poetry reflective of her world travel and uncommon speciality.
She continues to work with NASA on the Atacama Field Expedition.
In 2010 she was featured in Symphony of Science
Symphony of Science
The Symphony of Science is a music project created by Washington-based electronic musician John Boswell. The project seeks to "spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through musical remixes." Boswell uses pitch-corrected audio and video samples from television programs featuring popular...
.
External links
- Prof. Boston's homepage at New Mexico Tech
- National Cave and Karst Research Institute of the U.S. National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...