Replying...
Intro. Helen Benson is a leading astrobiologist and professor at Princeton University. Unlike the original 1951 version (where she was secretary), this 2008 version positions her as a high-level scientific expert. She is recruited by the United States government (specifically by the Department of Defense) to be part of a team of scientists in charge of analyzing the first contact with an extraterrestrial entity.

Helen Benson

@Luis Antonio