Eric Gaidos Professor of Geobiology Dept. of Geology & Geophysics University of Hawaii at Manoa Voice: 1-808-956-"seven"897 FAX: 1-808-956-"five"512 e-mail: last-name"at"hawaii.edu Publications       Teaching       Vita I am interested in the origin and evolution of life on Earth, and planets around other stars as possible habitats for Earth-like life. My current research includes studies of M dwarf stars, which are much smaller and cooler than the Sun and might host habitable planets that are comparatively easy to detect. I lead a team that was the first to directly investigate microbial life in subglacial lakes (in Iceland). These unique environments and ecosystems are plausible analogs of possible counterparts on early Earth and Mars. I am interested in the connections between geologic, ecologic, and climatic change and the evolution of animal life and intelligence on Earth. I also have an (amateur so far) interest in archaeology and paleoanthropology. My research is supported by grants from the NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics, NASA Origins of Solar Systems, and NASA Astrobiology: Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology programs.

Videography (Click Images to Watch) Hawai'i: A Long Story Short The ancient drama of the Hawaiian Islands with their unique plants and animals is revealed in this short documentary narrated by Kayla Rosenfeld and with original music by Michael Tanenbaum. The video tells the story of the birth and destruction of these islands over millions of years, and how life, including people, has found a new home in one of the most isolated places on Earth (20 minutes). Dissolution, and Da Solution Produced by students in the Global Environmental Sciences 310 class to highlight the threat of ocean acidification to Hawaii's coral reefs as a result of rising atmopsheric CO2 . Featuring an interview with Dr. Fred Mackinzie of the Department of Oceanography (3.5 minutes).

Current Research Projects SANDCASTLES: Spectroscopy of A Nearby Dwarf Catalog As Superior Targets for Low-mass Exoplanet Searches MERMAIDS: MEtal-Rich M dwarfs: An Infrared-selected Doppler Survey SEAWOLF: Search for Exoplanets by Analysis of WASP Optical Lightcurves and Followup WAVES: Water, Atmospheres, and Volatiles on ExoplanetS ROCK-STARS: Relative planet Occurrence around the Coolest Kepler Stars