“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...

“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...

“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...

“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...

“I'm really good at translating. I can talk to scientists and engineers and help them understand each other.” An Interview with Charles Webb

Charles Webb is the Deputy Director of NASA’s Joint Agency Satellite Division, where he helps lead a team to develop and launch satellite missions for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Charles has a gift for translating between scientists and...

“My mother would tell me stories about the stars and the moon." An interview with Hashima Hasan.

Hashima Hasan is the program scientist for NASA’s James Webb, XP, and NuSTAR telescopes, helping to bring those missions from cradle to grave. Hashima followed the space race closely growing up in India, which inspired her to navigate into the...

“We give them a little bit of a show. " An Interview With Duane Waliser

Duane Waliser’s path in science meandered from an Oregon apple farm to a UCSD Oceanography institute to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he now serves as the Chief Scientist for the Earth Science and Technology Directorate. At JPL, Duane helps...

“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...

“This is motivated by a desire to be of service, to disrupt colonial narratives, and to bring healing." An Interview With Daniella Scalice

Daniella Scalice is the Education and Communications Lead for NASA’s Astrobiology program, and she sits in NASA’s MAIANSE program for incorporating American Indian and Alaska Native science into NASA’s STEM research and education initiatives. She works in western and Indigenous...

“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...

“The best thing I could do with my astronomy degree was to share astronomy with other people." An interview with Alex Lockwood

Dr. Alex Lockwood is the project scientist on the science communication team for the James Webb Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute. While earning her Ph.D. in Planetary Astronomy and Science, Alex had the unique opportunity to star...

“It's never been easier to make your own space.” An interview with David Shiffman

David Shiffman is a shark guy first, marine conservation biologist second. Sharks are in his Twitter handle, he’s writing a book about them, and he was wearing a shark shirt the day we interviewed him. We talked with David about...

I joined the Air Force Academy to become an astronaut. NASA has always been at the forefront of my imagination, plans and dreams.

Dr. Jared Broddrick is a systems biologist who is passionate about solar system exploration and NASA’s Human Research Program. Broddrick participated in the Human Exploration Research Analog where he lived in a 600-square-foot box with three other researchers for 45...

“There were locations that I went to that no human has ever been to before.” An interview with Dr. Mary Beth Wilhelm.

Dr. Mary Beth Wilhelm is a research space scientist at NASA Ames Research Centre. In this interview, Mary Beth talks about lab hopping, visiting five continents in five months, winning the Ames Early Career Researcher Award, and her hopes for...

An oceanographer and chemist working on space missions at NASA. An interview with Tori Hoehler.

Dr. Tori Hoehler is a scientist at NASA Ames, with a background in chemistry and oceanography. He now studies the interaction of microbial communities with their environment, with an emphasis on the habitability of environments beyond Earth and the detectability...

Examining geomicrobiology in caves and mines, with a side of space exploration and astrobiology. An interview with Penny Boston.

Dr. Penny Boston is a woman of many talents! A notable academic with a background in microbiology and geology, Penny has investigated microbial life in the lab and in the field as a speleologist -- someone who studies cave science....

"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...

"It was really such a unique experience that I just don't think can happen today." An interview with Donald Gurnett.

Dr. Gurnett began flying model planes at an early age. Little did he know that this passion of his would propel him to become a pioneer in space physics. In this interview Gurnett talks about his improbable journey to the...

"Even today I'm still amazed at the power of the simple mathematics and it has benefited my whole career." An interview with Xubin Zeng.

Meet Xubin Zeng, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Arizona. Dr. Zeng was amazed by the power of mathematics at a young age and found his calling in physics. Listen to Dr. Zeng discuss what inspires him,...

"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...

"If you want something bad enough, you can work hard and get it or you can at least try." An Interview with Shobhana Gupta.

Dr. Gupta was unsure of what she wanted to work on after finishing medical school, but she found her calling and is now the Open Innovation and Community Applications manager at NASA headquarters. Listen to Dr. Gupta talk about her...