"We can always do something and we should always do what we can when we can." An interview with Brian Cairns.

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,...

“We’re looking forward to the evolution of missions to the outer solar system.” an interview with Glenn Orton

Glenn Orton is so deep in Jupiter mission information that he gets envious when he’s not involved in a space project studying the gas giant. The senior research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory studies the composition and structure...

"We were seeing Christmas lights from space, and seeing people praying on Mount Arafat during the Haaj." an interview with Miguel Román

Miguel Román, a Physical researcher Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, shares his journey from his childhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico to NASA. Seeing the impacts of hurricanes and urban growth where he grew up, and the practical...

"Most of these happenings have been because technology became available that could realize the vision." An interview with Eric Lindstrom.

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...

"Tracking whales from space.” an interview with Woody Turner

Woody Turner, the program scientist for biological diversity and manager for ecological forecasting programs at NASA, and one of the few people in the world who directly harness the power of space to solve a whale of a problem –...

"Biology is a planetary process. Biogeoscience is earth & space together." an interview with Diane McKnight, Dork Sahagian & Mary Voytek

How did Biogeoscience become a recognized field of study, with its own journal and sections at AGU? What obstacles did its organizers have to overcome in order to make it a viable field and a welcome presence at AGU? In...

"Something I learn today is something that [could help] society tomorrow." an interview with Patrick Taylor

While Patrick Taylor spends a huge chunk of his time in the clouds, his work has nothing to do with daydreaming. The Research scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center is working on understanding more about the role of clouds in...

"I like the human challenge working and researching in these extreme environments." An interview with Alfonso Davila.

How will we search for life beyond Earth? If we do find life, what are the implications? As an Astrobiologist, Dr. Alfonso Davila travels to 'planetary analogue environments' that are remarkably similar to areas on other planets -- Chile's Atacama...

“You get the space bug and … it just opened a whole new world to me. " An interview with Delia Santiago-Materese.

Delia Santiago-Materese is a program scientist at the NASA’s Planetary Space Division in Washington, D.C., where she helps facilitate science and works with the community to make decisions about where NASA’s scientists should be exploring next. She spends her days...

"Every day there's a wonderful discovery and I am so thrilled that we're doing these things." An Interview with John Mather

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...

“Volcanoes are where we’re making new earth, every day." an interview with Lori Glaze

Lori Glaze, Acting Director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters, works with everything from understanding asteroid trajectories and material make up to the InSight mission which recently landed a rover on Mars. It’s no exaggeration to say Lori...

“It's very exciting to think about how we can have more voices at the table." An interview with Cynthia Hall

Cynthia Hall is the community coordinator for NASA’s Transform to Open Science program, where she works with organizations and communities to build diverse scientific collaborations with NASA. She works to make scientific research and processes more inclusive and accessible to...

"We're really just scratching the surface about how the earth works." an interview with Daniel Minguez

Daniel Minguez, a geophysicist for Chevron, helps create new geologic models of the earth’s layers, trying “to build geologic stories for how different geologic elements got there.” Daniel discusses his work which focuses on boring techniques and navigating plate tectonics....

"You have to believe in yourself and your project more than anybody else, and you have to sell it." An Interview with Amy Winebarger.

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...

"For me growing up in the 60s & being a real NASA fan, working for NASA was just a really fulfilling thing." an interview with Richard Eckman

The start of a fruitful career for Richard Eckman was being on a team which discovered that the stratosphere and ozone varied in relation to the sun’s 27-day rotation. Eckman, who now works with NASA’s Atmospheric Composition Modeling and Analysis...

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” an interview with Catherine McCammon

Catherine McCammon, staff scientist at Bayerisches Geoinstitut, University of Bayreuth, Germany and longtime AGU volunteer discusses collaboration and explains how she has found that the “the whole is great than the sum of its parts,” is truly an accurate statement....

"Revisiting the Early History of `Sprite’ Observations." an interview with Geoff McHarg

Sprites are electrical discharges like lightning, but up in the middle atmosphere. Having only been in the scientific literature since the 1990s, sprites captured Geoff McHarg’s imagination while observing the Aurora in Alaska. Perfect for a guy whose view of...

"I joined an Oceanography club & actually asked the question that ended up [being] my thesis." an interview with Michael Freilich

Michael Freilich, Director of NASA's Earth Science Division, shares about his life studying the oceans and Earth as a system. While still in his high school's oceanography club, he started exploring a question about how waves move that later became...

"The sun kind of affects everything here on Earth in one way or another." An interview with Nicholeen Viall.

Nicholeen Viall is a research astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, with her research focus being the sun and solar wind. Listen to Dr. Viall talk about her start in space science, her greatest accomplishment, and her hopes for...

“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...

"Be curious, look up, ask someone" Interview with Padma Yanamandra-Fisher

Padma Yanamandra-Fisher, a research scientist at the Space Science Institute, shares stories of her career in planetary science. She recounts how defining the launch of Voyager was and the significance of the growth in the field since. Padma shares her...

"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...

"The atmosphere is one of the most complex processes in nature." an interview with Luke Oman

As a child, Luke Oman was always looking out the window. Today, he works on atmospheric processing for NASA. How do volcanic eruptions affect everyday life? What happens when sulfur dioxide gases from volcanoes interact with sulfate aerosol and stay...

"The things that make me proud are working every day to make life better for the people around me. "

Paths Through Science Interview for AGU's Centennial with Carolyn Brinkworth, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research