"You can't keep redoing your Ph.D. Really, to be successful, I think you have to change." an interview with Steven Pawson

Steven Pawson, Chief of the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, shares his experiences working on atmospheric and Earth systems science, including interactions between the Ozone Layer and climate change, and predicting air quality for...

"We make discoveries when not expecting results." an interview with Roberta Rudnick

Roberta Rudnick, Professor at University of California Santa Barbara, was captivated by science from a young age, witnessing the Mt. Saint Helens eruption while in college, and traveling the globe to understand plate tectonics, and how and why continents form...

"I just kept learning more things or finding a niche." An Interview With Michael King.

Michael King is a Senior Research Associate in the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado. He previously worked at NASA for 3 decades in a variety of roles, including Senior Project Scientist of NASA’s Earth...

“There's a long history of NASA involved in agriculture.” An Interview with Chris Justice

Chris Justice is a geographer and professor at the University of Maryland whose research on land use changes and global agriculture has taken him around the world. His research has had a hand in a variety of NASA programs, including...

“There are no dumb questions, be confident and know that you are the expert in your field.” an interview with Linette McPartland

Imagine this upbringing: only child, suburbs of Maryland, daughter of a mathematician and a pastry chef. If you guessed that child would achieve a management role with NASA’s famed IceBridge2 mission, congratulations, you truly have exceptional foresight. Linette Boisvert McPartland...

"Returning and Relearning in Bejing, China." an interview with Qingyun Duan

When Quinyan Duan was a student in China, he found his way into hydropower engineering. He wanted to pursue a graduate degree but couldn’t find the right professor to guide him. He took the difficult step of applying in the...

"When I was young, I always wanted to play pro baseball, soccer, or basketball" an interview Paul Newman

Paul Newman, Chief Scientist for Earth Science at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the co-chair to the Montreal Protocol, is one of the planet’s top ozone watchdogs – a self-described detective who looks for any chemicals which may deplete...

"AGU is the most important gathering of geoscientists in the world." an interview with Ioan Lascu

Ioan Lascu, research geologist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, shares stories of his work studying minerals and rock magnetism. What do bacteria affect magnetism? What can we learn from stalagmites and stalactites? Why has there been in a...

"You can save more lives by being a plant scientist" interview with Becca Barnes, Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona, Evelyn Valdez-Ward & Ben Sulman

In this inspiring interview, Becca Barnes, Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona, Evelyn Valdez-Ward, and Ben Sulman, four early-career biogeoscientists come together to share their reflections on what it means to be a scientist today. How can scientific knowledge be spread on social media?...

“Me and a million other kids wanted to be an astronaut.” an interview with Doug Archer

Doug Archer has a rock collection, only he’s never actually held any of the stones, and they are hundreds of millions of miles away on Mars. As a research scientist working with the Curiosity Mars rover in NASA’s Johnson Space...

"This is science – to put everyone together to discuss the future of humanity." an interview with Frédéric Ouattara

Frédéric Ouattara, Universite de Koudougou, knows the practical implications of his research into the ionosphere. Our mobile phone signals become worse due to the weakening of the ionosphere. In Burkina Faso, he helps train the next-generations of geoscientists. The 2018...

"If you do it persistently and constantly, eventually it will create some sort of change." an interview with Catherine Mushi

Catherine Mushi, PhD student studying Water Resources Engineering at the University of Dar es Salaam discusses her work in the Congo River Basin and collaborating with peers both in the field and within the community. She shares her experience as...

"I want to change the world with what we do, not do it for myself." an interview with Christopher Hain

Chris Hain from the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center helps turn NASA data into information that non-scientists can use. One of his big projects is monitoring plant stress from space, which can give farmers a 2-4 week early warning...

"It never occurred to me to work in science communication" an interview with Laurie Cantillo

Laurie Cantillo, the Deputy Director of Communications and Education at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, talks about her journey to become a science communicator. She developed an interest in science at an early age spending time in the outdoors with her...

“It’s all about getting the information into the hands of local stakeholders.” an interview with John Bolten

John Bolten doesn’t need to get his hands dirty to learn about crop yields. Using satellite images, the Associate Program Manager of Water Resources for the NASA Applied Sciences Program has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to directly...

“For really big problems we use really creative solutions.” an interview with Daniel Irwin

Daniel Irwin’s first direct connection with NASA started in the small town of Flores in Guatemala. Amidst work dodging snakes and spiders in the jungle, he had a chance encounter with a researcher who handed him satellite mapping images of...

"We have to learn to live off of the planet–we can't take everything with us." an interview with Steve Clarke

Steven Clarke, NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, discusses his life in science and engineering. Currently tasked with bridging NASA's efforts on human and robotic missions to coordinate scientific requirements for going to the Moon and Mars, he has seen...

"At that moment, I realize the benefit of what science can do around us." an interview with Atanas Dommo

Atanas Dommo shares his experiences as a Ph.D. student from Cameroon Africa. He discusses how his desire to learn more inspired him to pursue a career in the sciences. His speaks of his passion and motivation for understanding our changing...

"What other profession allows you to ask questions, chase those things that give you intellectual itches." an interview with Robert Swap

On the football field, Bob Swap learned to read the field, look at the play, assess the information, and move forward. Today, those same skills help him manage over 250 scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center with NASA’s Pandora...

"Taking the Time to Make the Big Decision." an interview with Marcia McNutt

You may know Marcia McNutt as the current president of the National Academy of Sciences, but did you know she’s also someone who got restless enough to give up what many consider the be the perfect job? While teaching at...

"The best way to get ahead is to plant seeds of ideas in other people & watch them take off & run with it." an interview with Bruce Wielicki

Bruce Wielicki, a NASA Langley climate scientist, discusses his collaboration with economists to help non-scientists understand how climate change will hit them in the wallet, and how they could reduce that risk with modest investments in improved climate science. He...

"Well, I think at the earliest stage, the most important thing is to try it out." An Interview with Craig Kundrot

Craig Kundrot had a hard time narrowing down what type of science he wanted to specialize in, but that ended up being a strength when he became the Division Director for Biological and Physical Sciences at NASA. We talked to...

"It's so fun and such a privilege to be part of this team and see what people can do together" An interview with Lindy Elkins-Tanton

Dr. Elkins-Tanton did not always know she wanted to be a scientist, yet she is now the principal investigator for NASA's Psyche mission and the managing director of the Arizona State University Interplanetary Initiative. Hear her talk about her journey...

"There is humor and wonderment in all these great people." An interview with James Garvin.

James Garvin is the Chief Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Garvin has been at NASA for 35 years in a variety of roles and missions, and is well known for his incredible work in NASA's Mars explorational...