I was interviewed by Gitika Gorthi, high school student and founder/CEO of the organization IgnitedThinkers.org, which aims to bring space education and rocketry to schools worldwide. As part of her Space Champion interview series, Gitika and I discussed my path to my Ph.D., getting involved in the space industry, and our shared interests in making space more accessible to others through IgnitedThinkers and SpaceInterns.org. You can watch the video below or on YouTube.
Video timestamps for the interview:
0:55 Thanks for having me
1:26 My typical day
2:46 What is the Brooke Owens fellowship
3:45 My path to becoming an Earth scientist , and how NASA and space tie-in
6:20 What is your favorite project that you've worked on? (NASA citizen science work)
9:28 How did SpaceInterns.org get started, an the motivation and passion for it
14:06 Did you always imagine yourself in the position you are in today?
17:11 How did you get inspired to go into space?
21:00 You don't need to give up art to pursue STEM (space art is possible)
22:02 Were there any obstacles you faced to pursuing your career, and how did you overcome them? (Ph.D. rejection, and knowing rejection is okay)
25:41 What are key to becoming knowledgeable of the space industry/Earth science?
28:39 What is your take on people saying that NASA's budget is too high?
31:06 This series is to show that you don't have to be a genius at math or science to join the space industry. What is your take on that? (follow your passion)
33:37 What advice do you have for young people?