"Something I learn today is something that [could help] society tomorrow." an interview with Patrick Taylor

While Patrick Taylor spends a huge chunk of his time in the clouds, his work has nothing to do with daydreaming. The Research scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center is working on understanding more about the role of clouds in...

“You want to work with people who have good character.” an Interview with Martha Savage

Eager to get out of the lab, Martha Savage spent the year immediately following her undergraduate graduation at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station where she worked as a cosmic ray observer. In this position, Dr. Savage, who is now a...

"We're really just scratching the surface about how the earth works." an interview with Daniel Minguez

Daniel Minguez, a geophysicist for Chevron, helps create new geologic models of the earth’s layers, trying “to build geologic stories for how different geologic elements got there.” Daniel discusses his work which focuses on boring techniques and navigating plate tectonics....

"Glaciers are the interface between land, atmosphere, and ocean.” an interview with Christopher Shuman

Christopher Shuman is on faculty at University of Maryland Baltimore County and a research scientist in the Cryospheric Sciences Lab at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Christopher has extensive work history in Greenland and in Antarctica, analyzing layers in...

"With satellite data, you can help people understand how the disaster happen in their backyard." an interview with Dalia Kirschbaum

In research, Dalia Kirschbaum literally seeks landslide victories, though in her case this entails finding disasters. The research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center uses satellite monitoring to get clear predictions about actual landslides through satellite information. “My work...

“[Better satellite monitoring] will improve our ability to bridge the gaps between the haves & have nots." interview with Ashutosh Limaye

Through his work with SERVIR, Ashutosh Limaye could be described as one of Earth’s watchdogs. The project scientist at the Marshall Space Flight Center’s job is to take NASA satellite data back down to the Earth and help people use...

"We need to figure out how to best manage the planet for all who live here." an interview with Anne Douglass

Nearing the end of her career, Anne Douglass, at NASA Godard Space Flight Center, has provided the scientific community with a better understanding of the ozone layer that protects us all from ultraviolet radiation. Anne describes the energy that it...

"Sharp Observations from a Keen Observer." an interview with Susan Loizer

We won’t say how long Susan Lozier has been shaping young minds at Duke University (she may let it slip), but she talks about amazing changes that have happened during her tenure. She grew up wondering how rivers get polluted,...

"It’s Always Sunny in Climate Science." an interview with Phil Mote

Is it a good time to be a climate scientist? Yes, says Phil Mote, Director Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University. Predictions over the past 40 years are coming true and while some look at that with...

“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...

"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...

"Communication is our responsibility." an interview with Jay Famiglietti

James Famiglietti, hydrologist and Director of the Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, discusses his work with NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experience (GRACE) and the evolution of technology throughout his career including its impact on water security....

"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...

"Reaching the Critical Zone through Community College." an interview with Jill Marshall

Jill Marshall, Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Arkansas thought she was ready to go to college, but there she was on the campus of Boston University as a freshman overwhelmed by her surroundings and on shaky financial...

"Then I took geology as a distribution class. It was the only thing that was really fundamentally new." an interview with Seth Stein

President-elect of AGU natural hazards focus group and Northwestern University seismologist delights in getting away from conventional wisdom and pointing out when there’s Much Ado about Nothing. He reflected on his career trajectory from research on space to the depths...

"I am satisfied by simply being able to help out in whatever way I can." an interview with Claire Parkinson

Dr. Claire Parkinson, senior scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center since 1978, discusses using satellite data to monitor sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic and serving as project scientist for the NASA satellite Aqua, which makes measurements of...

"You need to get into the storm, install it close enough to the lightning, and then run back to the car." an interview with Tim Lang

Putting up tall PVC pipes with pointy sensors to measure electrical fields in an approaching lightning storm may seem reckless, but it’s all part of the job for Timothy Lang. The NASA research scientist spends a lot of time in...

"I got a little periodic table wallet card. So, I really am a card-carrying chemist." an interview with Jack Kaye

Jack Kaye, associate director for research at NASA's Earth Science Division, discuss his origins as a chemist and earth scientist, and how he was recruited to Goddard to be a chemist among meteorologists. "My boss would advertise me as his...

"I've been a professional astronomer for over 20 years, [and it] still gives me goosebumps." an interview Michelle Thaller

Michelle Thaller, science communicator at NASA Goddard, discusses how she persisted in following her scientific passions even after being discouraged by teachers and guidance counselors. She also talked about why non-scientists should care about things so far away from Earth:...

"We as humans have just this innate desire to explore." an interview with Elizabeth Rampe

Elizabeth Rampe, a mineralogist, studying Mars at the NASA Johnson Space Center, shares about her life and work. She focuses on minerals on the surface of Mars which formed from water-rock interactions, which have the potential to show billions of...

"There would not be life without geosciences." an interview with Dwayne Brown

How can scientists tell the story of science so that the public listens and understands? Dwayne Brown is the Senior Communication Officer for the Science Directorate at NASA and works with hundreds of scientists to communicate their ideas on television,...

"You can make the claim that airborne transport of dust gives us rum.” an interview with Hal Maring

Hal Maring once risked his life for a box of fog. The physical scientist at NASA Headquarters was once on a New Zealand research cruise in the Tasman Sea when the vessel hit bad weather. They took down some of...