“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...

"There were are two paths, figure out how things work or figure out to forecast things." an interview with Paul Stackhouse

Paul Stackhouse is a sun chaser, but in his case it means measuring the surface radiation budget. This means figuring out how much sunlight gets to the surface of the planet, and takes a deep understanding of factors like cloud...

Reflections on the first Moon Landing

On May 8th 2019 teens from the MyDurham program interviewed mature adults about their memories of the first Moon Landing in 1969. In this recording we hear about what it was like witnessing the landing as young adults in college...

"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...

"Kathy vs. The Volcano" an interview with Katharine Cashman

Kathy Cashman, professor at the University of Bristol, worked on the 1980 eruption at Mount St. Helen’s in Washington, one of the first monitored volcanic eruptions in the world (“it was a ‘who’s who’ of volcanology and geology”). Thanks to...

"We are on a planet that is changing." an interview Steven Platnick

Cloud scientist Steven Platnick is trying to learn how clouds may magnify—or minimize—the effects of climate change. He first got excited about clouds when his Ph.D. advisor, who "treated us like equals," started asking questions about clouds. "He asked questions...

"We weigh the ocean and then you can see how much water there is or less water." an interview with Carmen Boening

As a deputy section manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Carmen Boening is keenly focused on rising with the tide. The trouble is, the water level isn’t going down as the climate warms. Partly through the monitoring of a set...

"The sun is the only star that is known to grow vegetables." an interview with Todd Hoeksema

Todd Hoeksema solar physicists and senior research scientist at Stanford University shares his stories about the power of the sun, technology advances and its effects on society and younger generations. (Recorded 7 September 2018)

“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...

“Science isn’t finished until it’s communicated.” An Interview with Mark SubbaRao

As the Scientific Visualization lead for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Mark SubbaRao oversees the translation of NASA science into images and movies. For Mark, science visualization is a key communication tool that allows the public to interact and explore...

“Science for me is a passion. I tell my students, if you're not having fun, do something else” An interview with Gregory Cutter

Having an idol is important in science so you can see yourself doing something similar. Gregory Cutter met his idol, Jacques Cousteau, when he was an assistant professor at Old Dominion University. As an oceanography professor, he worked with different...

“Put the self-doubt aside and just go for it and you'll be really surprised with the outcome.” An interview with Elizabeth Schaeffer

Elizabeth Schaeffer hasn’t followed the most straight-forward route into the geosciences but that’s allowed her to discover the field she most wants to study. She’s a non-traditional undergraduate studying applied geology and talks about recent internships she’s done that have...

“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...

“Connecting at this conference is a blessing; people meet you for who you are and that's important.” An interview with Kristin Pratscher

Kristin Pratscher might have only recently received her Bachelor’s degree but she already has plenty of experience in her field of geology. From a field camp in Turkey to being part of the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE) program...

"Glaciers are the interface between land, atmosphere, and ocean.” an interview with Christopher Shuman

Christopher Shuman is on faculty at University of Maryland Baltimore County and a research scientist in the Cryospheric Sciences Lab at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Christopher has extensive work history in Greenland and in Antarctica, analyzing layers in...

"Particles from the Volcano in the Philippines had made there way all the way to Wisconsin." an interview with Chris Trepte

The realization that a purple sunset in Wisconsin traced back to the 1991 volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines fueled Chip Trepte’s interest in the movement of volcanic aerosols in the upper atmosphere. “It was a stunning revelation...

“I hope the younger generation sees the universe as a wide-open space.” A conversation with Ulf Israelsson.

As a program manager with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA, Dr. Ulf Israelsson shares how he first became fascinated with outer space as a child, when he would stare up at the stars in his native country of Sweden....

“I realized outreach needs to be part of my scientific career. It brings me so much joy to talk to people.” An interview with Sanjoy Som

Sanjoy Som, Director of the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, believes in the importance of space science as a common goal of humanity, regardless of country – the founding inspiration of his institute. He talks about his passion for...

"Three Generations of Ice Cap Expertise." an interview with Sinead Farrell, Walter Meier, Ellen Buckley and Jackie Richter- Menge

What starts as a conversation about arctic change is actually an all-encompassing discussion about career growth, patience, and personal growth. Walt Meier, National Snow, and Ice Data center, introduces us to Jackie Richter-Menge, US Arctic Research Commission, who has spent...

“Persistence is absolutely critical for both science and NASA.” An Interview with Curt Niebur

Curt Niebur is the Lead Program Scientist for Planetary Flight Programs at NASA Headquarters, which means that he works on all the NASA robotic missions that don’t go to Mars- you know, a very small mom-and-pop operation. We talked to...

"We have a big mess to clean up. There's no other way to say it." an interview with Steven Running

Stephen Running, an Emeritus Regent's Professor at the University of Montana, shares about his work with NASA studying the global ecosystem from space. Trying out a microscope at a young age ironically led him into a lifetime of looking at...

“We’re really privileged to get to be doing science for a living. That’s a really cool thing.” An Interview with Kelly Fast

Kelly Fast basically works in a sci-fi movie- she works in the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA, which means she finds asteroids before they hit Earth. And while she hasn’t had to deflect any asteroids yet, she’s been involved...