Over the last decade there has been a growing interest in creating superhydrophobic (SH) surfaces stimulated by a wide range of potential applications. Superhydrophobicity is loosely defined as contact angles of water exceeding 150º. It has been suggested that contamination, corrosion, oxidation, current conduction and flow resistance can all be reduced on superhydrophobic surfaces. Wenzel and Cassie - Baxter have established equations relating surface roughness and contact angle. Both natural and synthetic SH materials show that both micro and nano scale roughness are needed to achieve superhydrophobicity. Using our simple silica based aerogel procedure, SH films with contact angles greater than 165º have been achieved with minimal roughness (~ 40nm). Using AFM, NMR, and scattering (GISAXS/light), we are correlating pore size and surface roughness to superhydrophobicity. Furthermore we have developed a procedure to optically control wetting of our SH surfaces. Exposure to UV light causes the macroscopic contact angle to vary continuously from about 165º to 0º depending on exposure time. The result is a UV dose-dependent decrease in contact angle. Spatial patterning is achieved by UV exposure through a mask as with conventional lithography. This treatment changes the surface energy without affecting the surface structure. Vapor phase exposure to a trimethylsilane restores the contact angle to nearly its original value. We present our simple single step procedure for creating optically transparent SH coatings with minimal surface roughness and show the optimum conditions needed for droplet rolling while also including some potential applications of these coatings.