"The moment when you run over the finish line as a team is one that you’ll never forget in your life." An interview with Thomas Zurbuchen

An inspiring physics teacher, a lesson on the Copernican Revolution, and an immense awe sparked by the night sky ignited a passion for learning and research for Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Dr. Zurbuchen shares...

“All conservation is local so, getting involved at a local scale, you’re much more likely to see results.” An interview with Stuart Weiss

“When you find yourself climbing San Bruno Mountain just south of San Francisco with a butterfly net collecting mission blue butterflies to repopulate on Earth Day, it doesn't get better than this.” Stuart Weiss is passionate about conservation ecology. He’s...

“The best part about science is that if you do an experiment and your hypothesis is wrong you just try again” An interview with Adeena Teres

Adeena Teres is a high school science teacher in Florida, although she tried a few different careers before following her passion for teaching. As a teacher, there are always opportunities to inspire students either into science careers or towards other...

“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...

“Science for me is a passion. I tell my students, if you're not having fun, do something else” An interview with Gregory Cutter

Having an idol is important in science so you can see yourself doing something similar. Gregory Cutter met his idol, Jacques Cousteau, when he was an assistant professor at Old Dominion University. As an oceanography professor, he worked with different...

“We've never had a [unified ocean] policy until the Obama administration; it was quite satisfying work .” An interview with Frank Schwing

Frank Schwing oversees the science information division at NOAA and is particularly proud of his transition from doing science to becoming a manager of science. He says, “Working for a federal agency, one of the demands is to make [the...

“Put the self-doubt aside and just go for it and you'll be really surprised with the outcome.” An interview with Elizabeth Schaeffer

Elizabeth Schaeffer hasn’t followed the most straight-forward route into the geosciences but that’s allowed her to discover the field she most wants to study. She’s a non-traditional undergraduate studying applied geology and talks about recent internships she’s done that have...

“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...

“It’s been interesting and rewarding to see science taken seriously and have some action being taken.” An interview with Steve Montzka

Steve Montzka has been at NOAA for 28 years, working on atmospheric science, atmosphere chemistry, and trace gases in the atmosphere. He started there as a post-doc, drawn by the work he saw NOAA scientists doing on the hole in...

“We lower the barrier to collaboration and innovation so people do work that might not have been done.” An interview with Erin Robinson

Erin Robinson is the Executive Director of the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP). She knew from early on that she was interested in science and her field of remote sensing, from good science teachers in middle and high school to...

“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...

“It's hard to say what's going to get invented and eventually end up being in everyone's homes.” An interview with Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is an AGU member who has been coming to Fall Meeting for years. He discusses some of the keynotes he’s attended in recent years, like those by Jerry Brown, Elon Musk, and Dan Rather. A sci-fi enthusiast, Richard...

“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...

“Embracing the different kinds of scientists that exist is something that we're still working to do.” An interview with Kiya Riverman

Kiya Riverman ended up studying glaciers because, on a field work trip, she was one of the few who could fit the ice cave in the glacier. She recalls, “you're surrounded by glaciers and then sometimes you're underneath glaciers. And...

“People don't fully understand what climate science is. It's a significant achievement to make them aware.” An interview with Bidyut Goswami

Bidyut Bikash Goswami has found that people are very interested in his field of climate science and meteorology, even if they don’t fully understand it at first. He notes that people tend to assume that climate science means climate change...

“It's important to get out of the textbook and into the field to communicate science and new research.” An interview with Elizabeth Eubanks

Engaging young students outside of the classroom can help further a life-long interest in science. Elizabeth Eubanks is trying to bring these kinds of experiences to as many kids as she can. As a science teacher, she’s heard from students...

“I was drawn to geophysics because, through technology, you can look at the things you’re studying.” An interview with John Booker Grab

John Booker Grab grew up in New Mexico and remembers, at the age of 8, running out the back door into the Santa Fe National Forest to go and collect fossils. He then went on to study at Montana State...

“Connecting at this conference is a blessing; people meet you for who you are and that's important.” An interview with Kristin Pratscher

Kristin Pratscher might have only recently received her Bachelor’s degree but she already has plenty of experience in her field of geology. From a field camp in Turkey to being part of the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE) program...

“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 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...

“We know that diverse perspectives bring science innovation.” An interview with Chris Atchison

Chris Atchison didn’t set out to create a project tailored for students with physical and sensory disabilities but ending up doing so anyway. He talks here about working on a virtual reality project and, when trying to find students who...

“How is it that we collect stories [and] create spaces for those stories to be told?” An interview with Michele Koppes and Heidi Roop

Michele Koppes and Heidi Roop met “on an incredible landscape on the edge of the Greenland ice sheet about two years ago.” The conversation that followed made both of them think more closely about the value of science communication and...

“It'd be a great job to be the person who gets someone excited to go into science in the future.” An interview with Zachary Wolff

Zachary Wolff talks about how his path to studying and creating models as a graduate student at UC Irvine was not straightforward: he first considered medicine and meteorology before working on a CICE radiation study and discovering his interest. While...

“Children are curious, and we want to make sure that they can enjoy that curiosity.” An interview with Richard Alley

Richard Alley is a professor in glaciology and loves what he does. He talks about gathering ice cores from Antarctica as an undergraduate, only to return for his PhD and continue the work. He’s measured fallout from atomic bombs tests...

“Something that helps me get reinvigorated about my own science is to teach and do outreach.” An interview with Michael Wong

Michael Wong is just as comfortable talking about science as he is with working on it. Currently a post doc at the University of Washington in Seattle, he talks about his work and path through science, from being inspired as...