"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...

"The journey and who you're taking the journey with matters as much as the destination." An interview with Riley Duren.

Riley Duren is a Research Scientist at the University of Arizona and an Engineering Fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His current research focus is developing greenhouse gas monitoring systems to support decision-making about climate. Listen to Riley discuss why...

“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...

"Make science discovery part of everyday life for all families." an interview with Kristin Lawrence

Kristin Lawrence is reimagining how children of all ages can learn and discover science. She is the CEO and Founder of The Hopper, a science discovery playground coming soon to Boulder, Colorado. Kristin changed direction from a career in paleomagnetism...

"Getting to Know Traditional Lightning and the People Who Love It." an interview with Sonja Behnke

The only interviewee to describe her chosen field as a “hoot,” Sonja Behnke, Los Alamos National Laboratory, has been actively involved in atmospheric electricity research since 2008. Before that, she was a math instructor as an AmeriCorps volunteer. As a...

“Science is something that you can learn and that you can achieve through hard work.” An interview with Michelle Newcomer

Michelle Newcomer is now a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab but her first degree was in French and Sociology. She talks here about the fear that comes with changing careers, taking risks, and pursuing the path that you...

"To build trust and guide people in what to do, you need to make sure that local scientists are involved." an interview with Laura Kong

Laura Kong is the director of the International Tsunami Information Center and, given that her organization is based in Hawaii, she directly understands the importance of a tsunami warning system. Tsunamis might be infrequent but can be deadly when they...

"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...

“Learn from the wise women who came before you. Don't go it alone. They have lessons and support for you.” An interview with Kim Cobb

Kim Cobb loves being out in the field. She talks about the euphoria and passion she has for it, saying “It's like nothing I've ever experienced literally, and I've given birth to four children.” In this interview, she talks about...

"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...

“I wanted to know–how did these monsters form?" an interview with John Haynes

John Haynes, Program Manager of Health and Air Quality applications in the Applied Sciences Program at NASA headquarters, talks about catching the “weather bug” at a young age. In first grade, he told his teacher that he wanted to be...

"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...

"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....

"The best science is global." an interview with Sonia Esperanca

Sonia Esperanca, Program Director for the National Science Foundation, supports earth-science research in the academic community. She shares her journey from Rio de Janeiro to the United States, Israel, Australia, and elsewhere. Having an understanding of landscapes across the world...

"These are really big questions that right now no one could really answer." An interview with Kayla Iacovino

Kayla Iacovino's research seeks to better understand the inner workings of crustal volcanic systems; drawing inspiration from Star Trek, she strives to harness geochemical information to improve lives. In this interview Dr. Iacovino talks about the hurdles she has overcome,...

"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...

"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...

"We all stand on each other shoulders to make the next discovery." an interview with Joseph Lazio

As a radio astronomer at the Jet Propulsion lab at NASA, Joseph Lazio walks us through his work in radio astronomy and career at NASA. He helped design radio telescopes to solve the mystery of why a hidden star was...

"Every project we work on, we count them by decades. That delays the rewards." An interview with Mehdi Benna.

While growing up in Tunisia Dr. Mehdi Benna dreamed of being a space scientist. Yet his future was uncertain after the first missions he worked on failed. Learn more about how Dr. Benna overcome adversity, what motivates him to go...

"The moment that put me on this path was an intro to Geology course." an interview with David Lagomasino

Dr. David Lagomasino, assistant research professor at the University of Maryland and researcher at the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center, discusses his life in science, studying coastlines and the effects of sea level rise, erosion, deforestation, and other factors on complex...

"The opportunity to be part of this team to build something was really quite compelling." An Interview with Russanne Low.

Dr. Russanne Low works for the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, with much of her work centering on promoting citizen science. Listen to Dr. Low discuss the obstacles she's had to overcome, how the science community has changed for the...

“I can do it and internships got me to the point” an interview with Anne Tamalavage graduate student and AGU leader

From showcasing a poster on the value of internships Annie further's the conversation in this interview. She discusses her life after undergraduate school; the unexpected lessons learned and career path to graduate school. Annie talks about the importance of internships...

“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...