1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:22,120
(Music)

2
00:00:22,140 --> 00:00:23,810
Narrator: Dr. Louis Allamandola is an

3
00:00:23,830 --> 00:00:26,340
internationally acclaimed scientist whose work

4
00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,890
revolutionized human understanding of materials

5
00:00:28,910 --> 00:00:30,540
in the Universe.

6
00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:32,680
When he entered the field of astrochemistry in

7
00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:36,200
1976, the composition of interstellar dust was

8
00:00:36,220 --> 00:00:39,140
largely guessed at and physicists saw the

9
00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:42,100
Universe as hydrogen-dominated.

10
00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,450
The notion of large, abundant, gas phase,

11
00:00:44,470 --> 00:00:46,990
carbon-rich molecules widespread throughout the

12
00:00:47,010 --> 00:00:50,250
Universe was considered impossible, the concept of

13
00:00:50,270 --> 00:00:54,010
ices in dense molecular clouds ignored.

14
00:00:54,030 --> 00:00:56,550
As founding director of the Ames Astrochemistry

15
00:00:56,570 --> 00:01:00,160
Laboratory, Dr. Allamandola decided to challenge

16
00:01:00,180 --> 00:01:02,800
the assumptions beginning in 1983.

17
00:01:02,820 --> 00:01:04,730
He pioneered techniques that realistically

18
00:01:04,750 --> 00:01:07,160
mimicked the extreme temperatures and harsh

19
00:01:07,180 --> 00:01:09,670
radiation fields observed in the Solar System and

20
00:01:09,690 --> 00:01:11,970
deep space.

21
00:01:11,990 --> 00:01:13,880
These laboratory simulations allowed

22
00:01:13,900 --> 00:01:17,380
Dr. Allamandola and his team to interpret infrared

23
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,270
observations made with NASA's Kuiper Airborne

24
00:01:20,290 --> 00:01:22,190
Observatory.

25
00:01:22,210 --> 00:01:24,410
He used the laboratory work to understand the

26
00:01:24,430 --> 00:01:26,810
breakthrough astronomical observations being made

27
00:01:26,830 --> 00:01:29,700
on the Kuiper to revolutionize our understanding

28
00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,710
of the chemistry, composition and spectroscopy of

29
00:01:32,730 --> 00:01:34,820
the cosmos.

30
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,460
Highlights from his work include the introduction

31
00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,700
of new spectroscopic units to bridge the

32
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:41,370
communication gap between

33
00:01:41,390 --> 00:01:43,850
chemists and astronomers.

34
00:01:43,870 --> 00:01:46,900
He and his colleagues proved that ices are present

35
00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,780
where stars and planets form and identified the

36
00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,080
molecules frozen in those ices.

37
00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:55,890
He demonstrated that biogenic organics could be

38
00:01:55,910 --> 00:01:58,650
made in deep space.

39
00:01:58,670 --> 00:02:01,040
He recognized that polycyclic aromatic

40
00:02:01,060 --> 00:02:04,950
hydrocarbons or PAH's, shockingly large and

41
00:02:04,970 --> 00:02:08,430
complex molecules by astrochemical standards,

42
00:02:08,450 --> 00:02:12,370
are widespread and abundant across the Universe.

43
00:02:12,390 --> 00:02:14,900
Dr. Allamandola has been a key driver of the

44
00:02:14,920 --> 00:02:18,040
interstellar PAH model and has overseen the

45
00:02:18,060 --> 00:02:20,910
creation of the world's largest collection of PAH

46
00:02:20,930 --> 00:02:25,500
spectra at Ames to interpret the observations.

47
00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,190
Thanks to this spectral collection, astronomical

48
00:02:28,210 --> 00:02:31,620
PAH spectra are now becoming new probes of the

49
00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:33,760
physical and chemical conditions throughout

50
00:02:33,780 --> 00:02:36,410
our local universe.

51
00:02:36,430 --> 00:02:39,200
Dr. Allamandola has interpreted data from NASA's

52
00:02:39,220 --> 00:02:42,270
ground-, air- and space-based telescopes to guide

53
00:02:42,290 --> 00:02:44,630
his scientific studies.

54
00:02:44,650 --> 00:02:47,710
In the process, this work helped to shape future

55
00:02:47,730 --> 00:02:49,670
NASA science missions.

56
00:02:49,690 --> 00:02:51,830
He mentored the next generation of space

57
00:02:51,850 --> 00:02:54,830
scientists, has been accorded many honors and

58
00:02:54,850 --> 00:02:56,560
twice won the prestigious

59
00:02:56,580 --> 00:03:00,250
NASA Ames H. Julian Allen Award.

60
00:03:00,270 --> 00:03:02,520
He authored more than 220 peer-reviewed

61
00:03:02,540 --> 00:03:04,710
publications, and is one of the world's

62
00:03:04,730 --> 00:03:07,960
most-cited space scientists.

63
00:03:07,980 --> 00:03:11,680
Dr. Louis Allamandola is a visionary and pioneer

64
00:03:11,700 --> 00:03:14,790
in Astrochemistry and helped to redefine our

65
00:03:14,810 --> 00:03:17,690
understanding of the chemically rich and diverse

66
00:03:17,710 --> 00:03:20,790
molecular universe we know today.

67
00:03:20,810 --> 00:03:25,180
(Music)