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With over thirty-years of experience in aerosol research as a Project Leader on NASA’s AERONET program, retired NASA scientist Brent Holben knows his way around those finer details. Now three-months into his retirement, Brent walks us through his adventurous world-trotting...

Being a Hydrologist was never on Matthew Rodell’s radar, let alone working for NASA. But he always trusted the path ahead. Now as their Deputy Director of Earth Sciences for Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geophysics (HGB) at Goddard Space Flight Center,...

Brian Cairns works for the NASA Goddard Institute for space studies in New York, where he focuses on developing instruments that will make better measurements of small particles in space. In this interview Dr. Cairns discusses his start in engineering,...

Trena Ferrell’s story with NASA all started with an email requesting an in class visit for her students. Now as a Public Outreach Lead for NASA, she sits down with us to talk about the importance of STEAM (emphasis on...

Peter Falcon is an Earth Science communications specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with an atypical background: behavioral science. As a communications specialist, Peter acts as a liaison between NASA projects – such as the CloudSat program – and students,...

Husband and wife Leron McAdoo (50) and Stacey McAdoo (44) share a conversation about how they met and their experiences as artists, poets, and educators.

Meet Eric Lindstrom, a former Physicial Oceanographer for NASA who now works with Saildrone, Inc to map the ocean floor. Eric spent his first day at the beach when he was 3 days old and has been fascinated with marine...

Dr. Amy Winebarger is an astrophysicist in the Heliophysics and Planetary Science Office at NASA. Listen to Amy talk about what makes sounding rockets awesome to work with, the rewards of being a mentor, and how a New York Times...

Meet Xubin Zeng, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Arizona. Dr. Zeng was amazed by the power of mathematics at a young age and found his calling in physics. Listen to Dr. Zeng discuss what inspires him,...

Adrian Ababovic [no age given] shares a conversation with his mother, Marjana Ababovic (60), about her childhood memories in Bosnia, the experience of coming to the United States, and living life for yourself.

John Mather has an exciting year ahead of him- he's the senior scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, the planned successor of the Hubble Space Telescope, which is scheduled to be launched this October. We talk to John about...

Cynthia Rosenzweig has been studying earth's changing climate and its impacts on agriculture for over 2 decades, yet she continues to be fascinated by the subject on a daily basis. Dr. Rosenzweig currently heads the Climate Impacts Group at NASA's...

My friend Dick Hermann, an attorney, author, and columnist writes often about his passion for education reform. We talked about this.

Katherine Chon interviews her colleague, Rosie Gomez, about their work together in the federal government when new laws required changes in how the child welfare system needed to respond to human trafficking. Rosie reflects on her early influences growing up...

Dr. Gupta was unsure of what she wanted to work on after finishing medical school, but she found her calling and is now the Open Innovation and Community Applications manager at NASA headquarters. Listen to Dr. Gupta talk about her...

Mr. Hart tells Atlas about his life, how he got into teaching and where he wants to go from here.

Damiana "Lael" Francisca Ruth Uberuaga-Rodgers (35) interviews her mother, Damiana Louise Uberuaga (70), about her upbringing, Basque heritage, childhood, education, and private practice.

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...

One Small Step conversation partners Miles McCrimmon (58) and Jay McConville (58) discuss their careers and their concerns about their political parties. Miles speaks about his career in higher education and what he's learned from working in a community college....

Brian, a lecturer at Borough of Manhattan Community College, and Christian, a (now) former student, reflect upon their experiences in public speaking class as well as the college experience. Brian reflects with Christian about his growth as a person and...

How does one go from being a B+ student who got dressed down by her 8th grade softball coach to the Division Director of the Earth Science Division at NASA? While this might sound like the plot of an inspirational...

Brian C. Lorio, lecturer in the Speech, Communications, and Theater Arts Department at Borough of Manhattan Community College, reflects with (now) former student, Dafina Trepca, about her experiences in his public speaking class during the Spring 2023 semester as well...

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...

Eric Payne (35) talks to facilitator Mia Raquel (24) about growing up in Fresno and working to give back to his community. He describes some of the struggles faced by members of his community, analyzes the underrepresentation of black and...

When Christa Peters-Lidard cold-called the head of NASA’s hydrology lab as an undergrad, she wasn’t thinking she’d eventually land that very position. Now as the Acting Director for Sciences and Exploration at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Christa oversees several...