"It's just amazing to go to a new place in the solar system and discover someplace new." An interview with Paul Mahaffy.

Dr. Paul Mahaffy is the director of NASA's Solar System Exploration Division at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Raised in Eritrea, Paul became fascinated with the diversity of life at a young age, but did not have his sights set...

Grandpa Paul Career

My name is Aaron Escude (age 16) and I interviewed my grandpa, Paul Auer (age 81). We discussed his over 40 year career working in computer programming.

"Everyone deserves to be in science because science affects everybody." An interview with Jaida Elcock

Jaida Elcock says she thrives in chaos. And we’re inclined to believe her. From her ridiculously entertaining TikToks on animal facts, to her work with the non-profit Minorities in Shark Sciences (oh, did we mention she’s currently pursuing her Ph.D.),...

“What I do is I make sure that data is accessible and we say discoverable… which is really important.” An Interview with Michele Thornton

When it comes to data archiving, Michele Thornton has you covered. As a Geospatial Data Professional for ORNL-DAAC, Michele ensures that NASA funded research is accessible not only to researchers out in the field but to a larger user community...

“One of the most rewarding parts of my job has been opportunities to mentor people like you” An interview with Linda Geiser and Peter Nelson

Linda Geiser and Peter Nelson tell their own stories and reflect on the impact they’ve had on each other lives. They’re both currently with the US Forest Service but first met when Linda hired Peter after he finished university to...

"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...

“I have friends that do kinds of jobs that you wouldn't expect scientists to do if you didn't know better.” An interview with Erica Bickford

Erica Bickford’s advice to early career scientists or students is to look outside academia and explore all the potential career options available to scientists. She is particularly aware of the importance of science in daily life and in the policy...

“I sort of took a leap of faith and was lucky enough to also have somebody that wanted to mentor me.” An interview with Rachel Hampton

Rachel Hampton ended up in the geosciences because she couldn’t find the art history class she was looking for. From asking a TA if she could join him on fieldwork to doing her senior thesis on volcanoes without a professor...

"If you want something bad enough, you can work hard and get it or you can at least try." An Interview with Shobhana Gupta.

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...