"He said, do you want to work on the carbonates in the Chicxulub Impact Crater? And my jaw dropped and I was like – Oh, of course!"

Carbonate sedimentologist Michael Whalen participated as a shore-based scientist on Expedition 364, Chicxulub: Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater. Mike discusses his interest in these sediments, his time working on material at the Breman Core Repository in Germany, and how having...

"[the Chikyu] was not on my wish list… but I can't overstate how powerful the experience was [including] landing in a Bell 412 helicopter"

Structural geologist Jon Lewis sailed on Expedition 315 on the scientific research vessel Chikyu in 2007 - his first-ever at-sea experience. Jon explains this riser vessel, the training required for the helicopter landing necessary to join the ship, as well...

"…that first time looking up the central stairwell, seeing all the different logos from before… seeing just that snapshot of history…"

Bonus audio! Andrew McIntyre and Laura Guertin both sailed on JOIDES Resolution for the first time during Expedition 390 (South Atlantic Transect I) and sat down to record a conversation four months after their time on the JR had ended....

“What it means to be an expert…is more exciting if it’s inclusive.” An interview with Nina Fefferman.

Nina Fefferman is a professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in the departments of Mathematics and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, where she is also the director of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis. In her varied...

“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...

“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...

"I think that those personal relationships… really make the science stronger."

If you are curious to learn more about the bonding and friendships that develop while at sea, listen no further than this conversation with Allyson Tessin and Ashley Burkett, two scientists that sailed on Expedition 392 (Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate,...

“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...

"'Who does science serve?' This is the question I think we should all ask." An interview with Nithin Silvadas.

As a young child in India, Nithin Silvadas picked up Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, and it may have changed his life. From that moment on, he was enraptured with the universe. An undergraduate in engineering (where he literally helped build satellites)...

"Talk to everybody…about anything that interests you in their field." An interview with Nathan Roth.

Nathan Roth is a Research Associate in the Department of Physics at the Catholic University of America and spends most this time in the Astrochemistry Laboratory at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Nathan studies the formation of the solar...

"When people [get] a science education…they underestimate how important human relations are to that." An interview with Kirk Knobelspiesse

If you’re a scientist in an oceanography department, you’re probably studying the ocean, right? Well, part of your job might be studying things like phytoplankton, the tiny oceanic powerhouses that play a crucial role in our planet's ecosystem. But how...

"If you work hard and put in maximum effort, you'll be successful and you'll enjoy it." An interview with Walt Petersen

Walt Petersen is chief of the Science Research and Projects Division at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Basically, he leads a group of folks who research and develop technology to explore and study the universe and also to observe and...

"The camaraderie that we had on the ship is still going… that’s a really special thing about being on the JR. And being a part of IODP."

What is it like to be a graduate student as part of the science party on JOIDES Resolution? Celeste Pallone shares her experience as a sedimentologist on Expedition 397 (Iberian Margin Paleoclimate, Oct-Dec 2022) as an early career scientist and...

"…they were relatively long shifts. But work-life balance is still important…and so we had a couple of fun activities that we would do."

Nannofossil paleontologist Claire Routledge highlights the need for a work-life balance while working 12-hours shifts, 7 days a week, for two months. After sailing on the South Atlantic Transect (Expedition 390), Claire shares her work responsibilities with nannofossils (along with...