"To build trust and guide people in what to do, you need to make sure that local scientists are involved." an interview with Laura Kong

Laura Kong is the director of the International Tsunami Information Center and, given that her organization is based in Hawaii, she directly understands the importance of a tsunami warning system. Tsunamis might be infrequent but can be deadly when they...

Geological stories run in families, inspiring the next generation. An interview with Alik Ismail-Zadeh, Ramesh Singh, and Ritesh Gautam

With experiences from Azerbaijan, India and the United States, three scientists discuss how they’ve shared their passion for science in society and data transparency from generation to generation. They hope future generations continue to use data to help people withstand...

"Then I took geology as a distribution class. It was the only thing that was really fundamentally new." an interview with Seth Stein

President-elect of AGU natural hazards focus group and Northwestern University seismologist delights in getting away from conventional wisdom and pointing out when there’s Much Ado about Nothing. He reflected on his career trajectory from research on space to the depths...

"Working Together to Prepare for the Unknown." an interview with Gari Mayberry

For the last 14 years, Gari Mayberry has put her volcanology background to work as a disaster response coordinator at USAID. Disasters come in many shapes and sizes so that specialty is a start, but often Gari finds herself connecting...

"It's through the science that I came to that "ah ha" moment. Climate change will affect virtually everything" an interview with Alice Hill

Alice Hill talks about her work at Stanford University's Hoover Institute on mitigating risk from natural hazards. She discusses her work in the Obama Administration running climate change programs for the Department of Homeland Security. She also worked at the...

"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...

"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...

“[Better satellite monitoring] will improve our ability to bridge the gaps between the haves & have nots." interview with Ashutosh Limaye

Through his work with SERVIR, Ashutosh Limaye could be described as one of Earth’s watchdogs. The project scientist at the Marshall Space Flight Center’s job is to take NASA satellite data back down to the Earth and help people use...

"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...

“Me and a million other kids wanted to be an astronaut.” an interview with Doug Archer

Doug Archer has a rock collection, only he’s never actually held any of the stones, and they are hundreds of millions of miles away on Mars. As a research scientist working with the Curiosity Mars rover in NASA’s Johnson Space...

"With satellite data, you can help people understand how the disaster happen in their backyard." an interview with Dalia Kirschbaum

In research, Dalia Kirschbaum literally seeks landslide victories, though in her case this entails finding disasters. The research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center uses satellite monitoring to get clear predictions about actual landslides through satellite information. “My work...

“Apollo 11….That's when I said, I don't have to be a businessman, I don't have to go into the military." an interview with Michael Meyer

Michael Meyer, NASA's Chief Scientist for the Mars Exploration Program, talks about his life and work in science. As a teenager working as a deckhand on a treasure diving boat in Florida, he was hired to replace some fired divers...

"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 learned from watching tv that you could make a living working with weather and how cool is that?" an interview with George Huffman

George Huffman calls himself a classic weather person, in part because by the fourth grade in North Central Ohio, he already was excited about the prospect that you could make a job studying weather. At the NASA Goddard Space Flight...

"You need to get into the storm, install it close enough to the lightning, and then run back to the car." an interview with Tim Lang

Putting up tall PVC pipes with pointy sensors to measure electrical fields in an approaching lightning storm may seem reckless, but it’s all part of the job for Timothy Lang. The NASA research scientist spends a lot of time in...

"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...

"I got a little periodic table wallet card. So, I really am a card-carrying chemist." an interview with Jack Kaye

Jack Kaye, associate director for research at NASA's Earth Science Division, discuss his origins as a chemist and earth scientist, and how he was recruited to Goddard to be a chemist among meteorologists. "My boss would advertise me as his...

"I am satisfied by simply being able to help out in whatever way I can." an interview with Claire Parkinson

Dr. Claire Parkinson, senior scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center since 1978, discusses using satellite data to monitor sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic and serving as project scientist for the NASA satellite Aqua, which makes measurements of...

"Taking the Time to Make the Big Decision." an interview with Marcia McNutt

You may know Marcia McNutt as the current president of the National Academy of Sciences, but did you know she’s also someone who got restless enough to give up what many consider the be the perfect job? While teaching at...

"We as humans have just this innate desire to explore." an interview with Elizabeth Rampe

Elizabeth Rampe, a mineralogist, studying Mars at the NASA Johnson Space Center, shares about her life and work. She focuses on minerals on the surface of Mars which formed from water-rock interactions, which have the potential to show billions of...

"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....