"Bridging the Divide with Operation IceBridge." an interview with John Sonntag

As a mission scientist with NASA's Operation IceBridge, John Sonntag has been keeping an eye on the polar ice caps for the better part of 20 years. The good news is, he is very well-versed in the science and analysis...

"We need to figure out how to best manage the planet for all who live here." an interview with Anne Douglass

Nearing the end of her career, Anne Douglass, at NASA Godard Space Flight Center, has provided the scientific community with a better understanding of the ozone layer that protects us all from ultraviolet radiation. Anne describes the energy that it...

"We have a big mess to clean up. There's no other way to say it." an interview with Steven Running

Stephen Running, an Emeritus Regent's Professor at the University of Montana, shares about his work with NASA studying the global ecosystem from space. Trying out a microscope at a young age ironically led him into a lifetime of looking at...

"The sun is a terrifying and beautiful laboratory of which we know only a little [about]." an interview with Sabrina Savage

Sabrina Savage builds instrumentation for solar physics and studies solar flares at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The technology she helps create delivers the most high-resolution pictures of the sun anyone has ever seen. In a society more dependent upon...

"Points that fall off the curve are either a mistake or the Nobel Prize." an interview with Glenn Orton

Glenn Orton, a senior research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discusses his career exploring the outer Solar System that started with the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions, and extended forward to Cassini and more recently Juno. Interested in space...

"Celestial events are always a winner.” an interview with Kristen Erickson

Kristen Erickson, Director of science engagements and partnership, recently helmed NASA’s efforts to involve over 154 million adult Americans with direct participation with the 2017 total eclipse – the largest engagement effort in NASA history. But in her more than...

Reflections on Life

He talks about his family, childhood, and values. He also mentions how his life has been and how he hopes the future will be better.

"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...

"Reaching the Critical Zone through Community College." an interview with Jill Marshall

Jill Marshall, Assistant Professor of Geology at the University of Arkansas thought she was ready to go to college, but there she was on the campus of Boston University as a freshman overwhelmed by her surroundings and on shaky financial...

"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...

"I want to change the world with what we do, not do it for myself." an interview with Christopher Hain

Chris Hain from the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center helps turn NASA data into information that non-scientists can use. One of his big projects is monitoring plant stress from space, which can give farmers a 2-4 week early warning...

"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...

"What other profession allows you to ask questions, chase those things that give you intellectual itches." an interview with Robert Swap

On the football field, Bob Swap learned to read the field, look at the play, assess the information, and move forward. Today, those same skills help him manage over 250 scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center with NASA’s Pandora...

A Date

A wonderful idea for a date, revisited on our 1 year Anniversary. A planner and a worrier sit down to try to engage on a rainy day.

"You can save more lives by being a plant scientist" interview with Becca Barnes, Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona, Evelyn Valdez-Ward & Ben Sulman

In this inspiring interview, Becca Barnes, Bianca Rodriguez-Cardona, Evelyn Valdez-Ward, and Ben Sulman, four early-career biogeoscientists come together to share their reflections on what it means to be a scientist today. How can scientific knowledge be spread on social media?...

"I can't be an expert in everything." an interview with Denise Hills

Denise Hills, Director in Geological Survey of Alabama and AGU leader shares stories of her collaborative experiences and how it has shaped her career. She discusses the significance of the growth of science and the importance of communicating science to...

"Think about your strengths and how you can utilize those strengths." an interview with Haojia Abby Ren

From her teaching position at National Taiwan University, Haojia Abby Run is studying nitrogen-related pollution by fossil fuels and fertilizers and warning people in Taiwan of its damage to the ocean. A female Asian oceanographer, who grew up in China’s...

"You can't keep redoing your Ph.D. Really, to be successful, I think you have to change." an interview with Steven Pawson

Steven Pawson, Chief of the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, shares his experiences working on atmospheric and Earth systems science, including interactions between the Ozone Layer and climate change, and predicting air quality for...

"It's not just about the ocean, it's about the intersection of the ocean with other earth systems." an interview with Paula Bontempi

After being drawn to the oceans at an early age, Paula continues to examine many factors that influence changes in the oceans. As a program manager for NASA, she enjoys the opportunity to work with dedicated researchers and learn how...

"If I can be welcomed in this group, doing this work, maybe they can too." an interview with David Crisp

David Crisp, senior research scientist at NASA, recounted his adventures, from going from a physics education major who had a paper on Venus winds published by Carl Sagan to a doctoral student at Princeton to helping fix Hubble. He described...

"It was not a straight line." an interview with Denis-Didier Rousseau

Denis-Didier Rousseau, Senior Research Scientist at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and Fall Meeting Program Committee Chair shares how at six years old he set the goal to be a paleontologist. He discusses how that has shaped his life...

"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....

"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...

“I spent my childhood driving around the most beautiful place in the world.” an Interview with Jim Pizzuto

For Jim Pizzuto, a career in science was never the plan. His father was a landscape painter, and he grew up surrounded by art and the majestic landscape paintings that his father produced. By the time he entered college, he...