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Life, The Universe, And Everything *
*from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series of novels,
used with permission of Douglas Adams.

UCLA’s Professor Bruce Runnegar Named Next Director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute

By Kathleen Burton
NASA Ames Research Center Public Affairs Office


Dr. Bruce Runnegar, a professor in the UCLA Department of Earth and Space Sciences and the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP), was selected September 6 as the next director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute (NAI). For the past four years Dr. Runnegar has been the director of the IGPP Center for Astrobiology, one of the eleven lead teams of the NAI.


"Dr. Runnegar is an internationally recognized paleontologist and astrobiologist whose breadth of knowledge and excellence in research and teaching are respected throughout the scientific and academic communities," said Dr. Henry McDonald, Director of NASA Ames Research Center, in Silicon Valley. "We enthusiastically welcome him."


As director of the Institute, Runnegar will lead the consortium in its efforts to answer the three big questions central to astrobiology: How does life begin and evolve? Does life exist elsewhere? What is life’s future on Earth and beyond? "The answers to these questions will not come quickly," said Runnegar. "That’s why NASA needs to attract bright young people to the field of astrobiology." Part of his role, Runnegar said, will be to develop educational opportunities in parallel with new astrobiology science objectives.


Established in July 1998, the NAI is a virtual organization composed of NASA field centers, universities and research organizations that collaborate to study the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. The institute brings together astronomers, biologists, chemists, geologists, paleontologists, physicists and planetary scientists.


"Dr. Runnegar’s appointment represents another major step in the evolution of the Astrobiology Institute and the work that it sponsors," said G. Scott Hubbard, NASA Ames Deputy Director for Research. "Runnegar’s long-established leadership in the field will provide the NAI with continuing momentum and research growth."

 


 
 

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