"For me growing up in the 60s & being a real NASA fan, working for NASA was just a really fulfilling thing." an interview with Richard Eckman

The start of a fruitful career for Richard Eckman was being on a team which discovered that the stratosphere and ozone varied in relation to the sun’s 27-day rotation. Eckman, who now works with NASA’s Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis...

"Kicking and Perturbing Your Way to Discovery." an interview with Doug Jerolmack

The next time you see a young kid skateboarding through the neighborhood, possibly listening to punk rock on their earbuds, remember that one day that kid could be your local science professor. Doug Jerolmack’s sturdy voice and love of experimenting...

"We’re constantly inventing new ways to use our data for societal benefits.” an interview with Sandra Cauffman

Sandra Cauffman was told growing up in Costa Rica that she couldn’t be an electrical engineer because she was a woman. Decades into a career which has largely involved getting her hands dirty building instruments to fix on spacecraft, the...

"Don't take yourself too seriously. Try and always put yourself in a new perspective." an interview with Lara Patricia Sotto

While many of the interviews at the conference were with experienced professionals with a career spanning several decades, this interview is with a young up-and-coming PhD student who traveled all the way from the Philippines to attend her first AGU...

"A magnetic storm…can damage many electrical systems on Earth like communications and power grids." an interview with Walter Gonzalez

This Sao Paolo, Brazil based senior space research scientist is best known for explaining geomagnetic storms. In 2017, he received an AGU prize for “cutting-edge work” on space weather and processes. He remembers being a UC Berkeley graduate student in...

"The Story of a GeoHealth Friendship" an interview with Geoff Plumlee and Aubrey Miller

In the mid-1990s, the town of Libby, MT, discovered they had a serious problem. The small town of fewer than 3000 people had reported over 300 fatalities from asbestos contamination. Enter Aubrey Miller, from the EPA, and Geoff Plumlee, from...

"When we met, it was a Reese's Peanut Butter moment: we had the peanut butter & he had the chocolate." an interview with David Young

David Young, Director of Science at NASA Langley Research Center, discusses his life's work studying the earth's climate. After an early interest in astrophysics, he focused in on earth science due to his desire to do research to help humans....

“You are so far up in space, that the Earth, the cities and the landscape all kinda of blends." an interview with Andi Thomas

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Andi Brinn Thomas is dealing with thousands of pictures of the world. The Image Data Scientist in the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit within the Astromaterials Research Exploration and Science Division...

"Science is a universal language, which helps us bridge language and cultural gaps." an interview with Emily Wolin

Emily Wolin is almost singe-handedly trying to upgrade Myanmar’s national seismic network. As a student, Emily saw the Mount Saint Helens eruption. Today, she helps scientists in Myanmar prepare their country for the aftermath of the next hurricanes to come...

"Giving Your Attention to Something Different." an interview with Trevor McDougall

It took 21 years for Trevor McDougall to leave Australia, but when he did, he was on a plane headed to the University of Cambridge and a masters and Ph.D. in Oceanography. Besides the life-changing event of going from one...

"I joined an Oceanography club & actually asked the question that ended up [being] my thesis." an interview with Michael Freilich

Michael Freilich, Director of NASA's Earth Science Division, shares about his life studying the oceans and Earth as a system. While still in his high school's oceanography club, he started exploring a question about how waves move that later became...

"Starting with the Simplest Conversations." an interview with Barbara Romanowicz and Vedran Lekic

For Ved Lekic, the opportunity to interview his mentor, Barbara Romanowicz, was a little daunting, so he brought along some questions. Once the conversation turns and Ved has a chance to answer some questions as well, we meet a very...

“I liked the thorough teachers I had, because you work hard, but it helps you academically.” An interview with Bernardo and Anne Quidez

Anne Quidez interviews her father, Bernardo Quidez, about his career and research over the years. They talk about how science and data analysis have changed, becoming more accessible to students, and about Bernardo’s experiences in working for the government to...

"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...

"Cracking the Carbon Cycle while Using the Grill." an interview with Marc Kramer

Environmental chemist Marc Kramer, Washington State University, has spent an inordinate amount of time talking and climate and weather in the rural parts of your nation. As he says in this interview, “there isn’t a single farmer who isn't interested...

"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...

"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...

“The measurements are telling us a critical component of climate change.” an interview with Norman Loeb

Clouds are among the most unpredictable components of climate models. But Norman Loeb is working hard to sort out the shape of cloud patterns in order to improve the accuracy of long-term weather predictions. As far as understanding how all...

"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...

Geological stories run in families, inspiring the next generation. An interview with Alik Ismail-Zadeh, Ramesh Singh, and Ritesh Gautam

With experiences from Azerbaijan, India and the United States, three scientists discuss how they’ve shared their passion for science in society and data transparency from generation to generation. They hope future generations continue to use data to help people withstand...

"When something changes your understanding, that's why you go into this field." an interview with Brian Day

Brian Day, of NASA’s Solar System Exploration Virtual Institute, leads a group of scientists in visualization and analysis of spacecraft data. Brian was taught that there’s no water on the moon, there’s no atmosphere on the moon, and the moon...

"I learned from watching tv that you could make a living working with weather and how cool is that?" an interview with George Huffman

George Huffman calls himself a classic weather person, in part because by the fourth grade in North Central Ohio, he already was excited about the prospect that you could make a job studying weather. At the NASA Goddard Space Flight...

"Choosing the Science of Decision-Making" an interview with Roger Pulwarty and Michael Hayes

Why do people feel they way they do about issues? Why do lawmakers and policy leaders seemingly act against their better interests? And how can information be developed in a way that leads not just to greater understanding, but to...

"I originally wanted to restore paintings, but that didn't work out." an interview with Bärbel Hönisch

Bärbel Hönisch, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at Columbia University also known as Queen of Boron, transported us millions of years beyond the ice cores to the realm when Greenland had no ice. She took hold of a magical instrument...

"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:...