Dr. Paul Benoit has degrees in geological sciences from Virginia Tech and from Lehigh University and worked as a professor of chemistry at the University of Arkansas. He was a researcher working on meteorites and lunar samples, with a focus on radiation exposure. His work was in collaboration with Johnson Space Center and he also assisted in experiments on NASA’s microgravity program, known as the “vomit comet” and simulations of processes in martian soil. He was a member of the 1998 Antarctic search for meteorites (ANSMET) expedition, which added new meteorite samples to NASA and Smithsonian collection. In his spare time, he likes to cook and bake, and he is involved with local art and youth education organizations. .