OW and BG

[Recorded: Tuesday, March 19, 2024] UVA students OW(21) from PA and BG (21) from Michigan recorded a One Small Step conversation as part of their course 'Lead From Anywhere.' One major theme they discussed was Climate Change and discussions /...

Brenna McNair and Bob Bailey

[Recorded: Wednesday, March 20, 2024] UVA students Brenna McNair (22) from Annapolis, Virginia and Bob Bailey (22) from Richmond, Virginia recorded a One Small Step conversation as part of their course 'Lead from Anywhere'. They discussed their political affiliations, how...

Blair Christensen and Darby Cain

[Recorded: Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024] Blair Christensen, a 22-year-old from Charlottesville, VA and Darby Cain, a 71-year-old from Sheffield, England, discussed their personal beliefs and values, including social innovation, climate change, and access to abortion. They shared their personal experiences...

“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...

“I'm proud my…perseverance of curiosity has gotten me to be [with] people who talk about life in the universe.” Interview w/ Julia DeMarines

Julia DeMarines is a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley in the Earth and Planetary Science department, an educator at the Mentoring Academy, a National Geographic Explorer, and a science communicator who runs a space comedy event...

“As somebody who at 10 years old wanted to do astronomy… I'm glad for where I've ended up.” An Interview with Rebekah Hounsell

Rebekah Hounsell is a connoisseur of explosions, and she spends her time helping scientists get the most out of TESS, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission. She also dabbles in helping to design surveys for the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman...

“By changing how science is done, we open it up to… more diverse experiences.” An Interview with Chelle Gentemann

Dr. Chelle Gentemann is the Open Science Program scientist in NASA’s Office of the Chief Science Data Officer. In this role, she works to understand the impact, and development assessments, of NASA’s strategy for Open Science. She recently sat down...

“I get excited about all of the projects that I work on because I see so much opportunity and potential.” An Interview with Allison Leidner

Allison Leidner is a program manager for Energy and Infrastructure applications at NASA’s Earth Science Division where she helps inform and connect decision-makers with the science behind renewable energy and climate resilient infrastructure. A conservation biologist by training, Allison recently...

“It's okay to take a non-traditional path.” An Interview with Allison Holevoet

Allison Holevoet is a Mangrove Restoration Coordinator with the University of the Virgin Islands for the SEAS Islands Alliance and works with GRROE (Growing, Research, Restoration, Outreach, and Education) US Virgin Islands Mangroves which, on top of post-hurricane restoration projects,...

“I’ve always liked to push the frontier and that’s not easy.” An Interview with Giovanni Fazio

Giovanni Fazio is a senior physicist at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard-Smithsonian. In his decades-spanning career, he has been instrumental in several observational programs, from his work studying gamma rays using balloon-borne telescopes to his time as the Principal Investigator...

Kate Walldorf and Aishani Patnaik

[Recorded: Monday, September 11, 2023] Kate Walldorf (19) from Charleston, SC, and Aishani Patnaik (19) from Ashburn, VA participated in this One Small Step conversation as part of their Public Service Pathways 1-credit UNST course at UVA. Aishani shares how...

Michael Racz and Thara Venkatesan

[Recorded: Friday, July 21, 2023] This One Small Step conversation was recorded in Charlottesville, Virginia as part of the Sorensen Institute’s summer High School Leaders Program in 2023. Michael Racz (15) is from Roanoke and Thara Venkatesan (16) is from...

“Be informed about the whole process… and be curious.” An Interview with Gael Cascioli

Gael Cascioli is a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where he focuses on planetary geodesy — the measuring of the gravity field and shape of a planet — and is working on the upcoming VERITAS mission which,...

“As long as you have the foundation, a unique worldview can be really useful in science.” An Interview with Ashley Greeley

Ashley Greeley is a research scientist in the Heliophysics Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center where she studies particles trapped in the magnetic field surrounding Earth. She sits down with us to talk about overcoming imposter syndrome, building innovative...

“I think it is important that people learn to trust the science of nuclear energy.” An Interview with Priya Ghosh

Priya Ghosh is an astrophysicist, nuclear engineer, and a postdoctoral researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. There she builds and develops radiation detectors to detect neutrons and gamma rays, and also studies and analyzes cosmic ray data to better...

“Important astrobiology questions require that people in a lot of different fields… find common language.” An interview with Lindsay Hays

As a program scientist for the astrobiology program, the Mars Sample Return program, and the DAVINCI mission, Lindsay Hays’s domain spans from NASA HQ to Venus to Mars and back again. Lindsay became one of the first to witness images...

‘I was one of those kids who thought everybody became a scientist… I was always fascinated with galaxies." An interview with Tom Statler

As the program scientist in NASA’s Planetary Science Division and the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, Tom Statler works with mission teams as they send robots to asteroids and other entities in our Solar System. From a science-rich upbringing to his...

"It was fun to think about how all the puzzle pieces fit together. How is this organization going to work?" An Interview with Anita Dey

Anita Dey is the strategic partnerships manager of outreach and engagement for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and co-chair of NASA headquarters' Asian American and Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group. Anita spends her days working with underserved communities and using the...

“The question is, is it still alive? Was Mars able to form microbes as well?” An interview with Adrian Brown

Adrian Brown is the deputy scientist on the Mars 2020 Rover mission at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.. Adrian uses his background in geology to explore Mars via the Mars Rover, living out his childhood fascination with the planets. He...

“I just could not help wanting to know why things are.” An interview with Sylvain Costes

Sylvain Costes is the Branch Chief, Open Science project manager, and principal investigator for NASA’s Ames Research Center. Sylvain oversees over 80 NASA scientists and technicians, but he’s primarily a biophysicist leading research on radiation and DNA to understand how...

Racine and Jaden on Climate Change

Racine the respondent is 17. She was the required respondent as assigned. We discussed Racine’s options and concerns about climate change.

“We are people who sit around campfires and tell stories and learn from stories… It's got to be a story.” An interview with Lin Chambers

Dr. Lin Chambers is the Deputy Director of Science Activation at NASA Headquarters, and she spends her time there sharing NASA’s science with learners in local communities across the country. Lin started at NASA after her freshman year of college...