“We went there to study sulfur and we ended up making this big nitrogen discovery.” An Interview with Barry Lefer

As a Program Manager for NASA Headquarters Earth Science Division, Barry Lefer helps fund important global research and field campaigns that are measuring air quality and greenhouse gases. And judging by these studies, Barry thinks the future is looking good!...

“It’s NASA, why would you ever want to leave?” An Interview with Peter Falcon

Peter Falcon is an Earth Science communications specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with an atypical background: behavioral science. As a communications specialist, Peter acts as a liaison between NASA projects – such as the CloudSat program – and students,...

“Scientists need to continue… educating the public on risk and uncertainty.” An Interview with Gary Jedlovec

Growing up in Chicago, Gary Jedlovec dreamed of running his own weather station and becoming the next great TV weather forecaster. However, that all changed when he discovered meteorological research. Now well into his career as the Chief of the...

”I've always been concerned about preserving natural resources.” An Interview with Matthew Rodell

Being a Hydrologist was never on Matthew Rodell’s radar, let alone working for NASA. But he always trusted the path ahead. Now as their Deputy Director of Earth Sciences for Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geophysics (HGB) at Goddard Space Flight Center,...

"When I was a child I always loved nature — I [knew] I wanted to become a scientist." A conversation with Stephanie Marie Ortiz Rosario.

Stephanie Marie Ortiz Rosario is an undergraduate student and Physics major from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. Over the summer, Stephanie will be participating at SaSa, the Student Airborne Science Activation, summer program. SaSa is hosting 25 early-career undergraduates (first-...

“How far you go [in your science career] depends on how big your curiosity is." A conversation with David Moore.

David Moore is a first-year graduate student at UCLA. He is studying tropical cyclones, also known as typhoons or hurricanes, on Earth. In his graduate research work, David is researching how to bridge the gap between planetary atmospheres and meteorology...

"SaSa became the culmination of all of my past and present interests." A conversation with Kennedi White.

Kennedi White is one of 25 students starting in the new Student Airborne Science Activation (SaSa) program at the NASA Ames Research Center. Students at SaSa are undergraduates from minority-serving institutions, competitively selected across the United States. Over the course...

"In Iran there was no space agency. The idea of working at NASA wasn't real. But it's always been my passion." A chat with Yasaman Shirazi.

As a mission scientist Dr. Yasaman Shirazi sends rodent research experiments to the space station. In her role she noticed how much of a gap there was when working with engineers and scientists. Engineers thought scientists make everything difficult. Scientists...

"In kindergarten I saw an astronaut on TV walking on the Moon and knew that was the direction I wanted to go." A conversation with Liz Pane.

At 5 years old Liz Pane knew she had to go to space camp. As the years went on she continued to develop her passion through education and internships and finally landed at NASA Ames. Liz is a scientist, engineer,...

Dual interests as both research scientist and engineer. An interview with Alok Shrestha.

In this interview, Senior Engineer Alok Shrestha discusses his career path as both engineer and scientist, now working for the Airborne Science Facility at NASA Ames. He also discussed how his background helped aid the 2015 earthquake recovery in Nepal,...