Denver curator named Sagan medal winner

Rocky Mountain News

Published October 14, 2006 at midnight

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David Grinspoon, curator of astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, was awarded the 2006 Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication on Thursday.

The medal recognizes scientists who significantly contribute to the public's understanding of and enthusiasm for planetary science.

The Sagan medal was presented by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society at a meeting in Pasadena, Calif.

Grinspoon studies the evolution of Earthlike planets.

He wrote the prize-winning book Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life.

Grinspoon's book explores the possibility of the existence of life beyond Earth.

"This honor is especially sweet for me because as a kid I was strongly influenced by Carl Sagan, as well as other scientists and writers like Rachel Carson, Lewis Thomas and Stephen Jay Gould," Grinspoon said.

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