Presentations
Showing 1 to 24 of 76.
No, Does Not Mean Never. It Only Means Not Now.
2020.01.29
Dr. Dorothy J. Zukor, Associate Director for the Earth Sciences, NASA GSFC (Emeritus), presented a Maniac lecture entitled: "No”, does not mean never. It only means “Not Now.” Children have dreams and Dr. Zukor's dream was to work for NASA one day. She loved anything to do with space and wanted to be a part of it. Little did she know the tortuous paths she would take to ultimately get there. In this talk, she shared about the multiple “U turns in a tunnel” that she made and some key moments in her NASA career.
The Making of a Science Bureaucrat with Vision and Leadership
2019.12.31
Dr. Dixon M. Butler, the Founder and President of YLACES, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “The Making of a Science Bureaucrat with Vision and Leadership.” Dixon believes that helpers can come out of nowhere. Rejections can lead to better situations than what you had in mind. Love your work. Inspiration and creativity may take many forms. Let the mission lift you. Dixon shared stories from a non-linear career, including how NASA's largest science mission was conceived and sold.
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Infiltrating NASA ...
2019.11.21
Dr. Piers Sellers, a NASA Astronaut and Deputy Director of Sciences and Exploration at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, presented a Maniac lectured entitled, "Infiltrating NASA …" When he was a kid, he watched the space race unfold. It was the most exciting thing he could imagine and NASA looked to him to be like the top of a holy mountain. After a lifetime of exploring different parts of that mountain, he still feels the same way. It doesn't get better than this.
Flying an instrument to every planet, ad hoc: how to get lucky
2019.10.01
Dr. Stamatios M. (Tom) Krimigis, Emeritus Head of the Space Exploration Sector of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “Flying an instrument to every planet, ad hoc: how to get lucky.” Tom counts being at the right place at the right time as the story of his career: as an undergrad in the University of Minnesota flying balloons, to being invited to Iowa by Van Allen and building seven instruments in five years for Mars, Earth, Moon, Venus, Earth, in that order; and then leaving for JHU/APL to build instruments for IMP-7, 8, Voyager, AMPTE, Galileo, Ulysses, ACE, Cassini, NEAR, MESSENGER, New Horizons, and Parker Solar Probe. It has been quite a ride, including working with the Space Science Board of the Academy and with Congress in advancing NASA’s science program. And he is happy to still be here to finish “Completing Voyager’s 2 Quest through the Heliosphere to the Galaxy,” Nature Astronomy (in press), 2019.
In the Name of Science: Some wild and crazy stories and concurrent advances in planetary science
2019.08.14
Lucy McFadden, Emerita, Planetary Systems Lab, Goddard Space Flight Center, presented a Maniac lectured entitled, “In the Name of Science: Some wild and crazy stories and concurrent advances in planetary science.” Lucy was born the fifth child of six in New York City during the baby-boom following the Second World War. She aspired to be a lepidopterist (after spending summers in elementary school outside of the City), a lawyer (after working on a local political campaign in high school in Massachusetts), and a photographer/film maker (after deciding not to compete with numerous class mates in college who went on to become serious contributors to documentary film making). How did she end up in the community of planetary scientists, a Co-Investigator of three NASA missions, a Chief for Higher Education at Goddard Space Flight Center, then Emerita-ville in 2016? Lucy shared a few discrete stories of obsessive enthusiasm leading to thrills, disappointments, but most of all the joys of exploring and understanding our solar system.
From HALOE to Headquarters: How did I ever end up here?
2019.06.26
Stephen Jurczyk, NASA Associate Administrator, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “From HALOE to Headquarters: How did I ever end up here?” Steve shared his career journey from a design engineer on a Earth science remote sensing instrument to the Agency’s Associate Administrator, the top civil servant. He provided his thoughts on a variety of subjects including leadership, engineering, project management, risk taking and innovation.
The Big Picture of An Awesome Universe
2019.06.11
Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, Senior Project Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “The Big Picture of An Awesome Universe.” How does a child on a rural Ozark farm find a path to astrophysics, science policy, and NASA? Jennifer shared how a nurturing community and a deep love of nature propelled her toward opportunities in astronomy and space exploration. Her initial career interests in human space flight and astronomy broadened into involvement in national science policy, oversight, and public science engagement. Now as senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope, she discussed how sharing the excitement and challenges of scientific discovery can inspire many across a broad cultural landscape. She also showed some very cool Hubble images.
The Scientist (Space Physics to Polar Glaciology/Climate)
2019.06.06
Dr. H. Jay Zwally, Senior Research Scientist, Earth System Interdisciplinary Science Center (ESSIC), University of Maryland, College Park, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "The Scientist (Space Physics to Polar Glaciology/Climate)." Jay talked about his pathway from a PA Dutch (Swiss) farming family in Lancaster Co Pennsylvania, a 3-room 8-grade school house, teenage coal and oil truck driver and auto mechanic, poker player, aero-mechanical engineer, space physicist, internationally known glaciologist/climate scientist, and avid snow skier and koi farmer?? The challenges, opportunities, obstacles, and successes including scientific and leadership contributions as NSF Program Manager for Glaciology and Remote Sensing and Goddard scientist including establishment of cryospheric research program and ICESat missions.
Anything Can Be a Game
2019.05.14
Dr. Edward Rogers, Chief Knowledge Officer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “Anything Can Be a Game.” From growing up in Saudi Arabia, to attending boarding school in India, and then doing relief work in Lebanon, Ed learned to value diversity in this world. Yet, when he arrived at Goddard, he assumed that he had to be formal and serious to be heard. He soon found out that the people of NASA are just as human as everyone else, facing the same challenges to their goals and sharing the same excitement about what lies ahead. Throughout his life he has learned and relearned a universal truth: no matter where you live, work, or play, life is a game. And when you recognize that anything can be a game, playing your way through it is so much better than simply letting life play you. This is Ed’s story about how he learned to help others learn to play it better. From Pause-and-Learn workshops to case studies and Road to Mission Success, Ed learned how to make a difference, and that has made all the difference for him.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
2019.05.06
Dr. Nicholas E. White, Senior Vice President for Science, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” From a small town in rural England, as a teenager, Nick followed with awe the NASA Moon program. When he was asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. His answer was to work for NASA! Nick shared how that teenage dream became a reality, how it led him to X-ray astronomy, to become a project scientist and leader at ESA and NASA, and to meet a lot of terrific like-minded people along the way.
From Sea to Space: A journey through astrophysics, instrumentation, and leadership.
2019.04.16
Dr. Mark Clampin, Director, Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA GSFC, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “From Sea to Space: A journey through astrophysics, instrumentation, and leadership.” Mark was inspired by the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, but he knew he wanted to work for NASA watching NASA teamwork at its best as the Apollo 13 recovery unfolded. Around the same time, a new tv show Star Trek inspired a generation for the first time to seriously consider the possibility of life in the Universe, and for him a career in astrophysics. Further inspiration came from Jacque Cousteau’s exploration of the world’s oceans. Mark has been privileged to develop instruments that search for evidence of planets around other stars, worked on four Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Missions, and helped develop its successor the James Webb Space Telescope. He will talk about these experiences and what he has learned along the way.
My childhood dream came true—what’s next?
2018.12.12
Dr. Christa D. Peters-Lidard, Deputy Director for Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geophysics in the Earth Sciences Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “My childhood dream came true—what’s next?” From tomboy to cheerleader to math contests, Christa’s path to NASA has been built on a fascination with nature, early inspiration from the space shuttle program, and a love for Earth Science. A series of steps with key mileposts led her to GSFC. Along the way she learned a bit about geophysics, hydrology, soil moisture, high performance computing, and land-atmosphere interactions. Looking forward, Earth science in general, and hydrology specifically is in the midst of a revolution. Christa discussed this 4th paradigm and how NASA/GSFC can lead the way.
Science Goes Global
2018.11.30
Dr. Robert W. Corell, Chair, Arctic Climate Impact Assessment & Principal, Global Envi-ronment and Technology Foundation, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “Science Goes Global.” This Maniac Talk is about “Science Goes Global,” a quest for centuries that began with Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher, alluding to a “Spherical Earth.” Humankind ever since has sought to understand and exploit an understanding of a global Earth. This talk is designed to tell personal stories, examples of extraordinary scientific leadership, actions often unexpected in government programs and unparalleled personal dedication that have occurred over the past 50 years. It is argued that science going global has substantially enhanced scientific understanding and projections of natural and human-caused changes in the Earth’s environment on time scales of hours to years and beyond.
The Rise of Climate Science, a Memoir by Gerald R. North
2018.10.04
Dr. Gerald “Jerry” R. North, Distinguished Professor (Emeritus), Texas A&M University, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “The Rise of Climate Science, a Memoir by Gerald R. North.” This is the story of Jerry’s life and career as he started in Appalachia, as he became educated as a physicist, became a tenured faculty member, changed his path to climate science just as the field was beginning. He interacted with many different countries and institutions, eventually arriving at GSFC, where he was the first study scientist for TRMM. Finally, Jerry moved to Texas A&M University, where he has continued for the last 32 years. From his vantage point, Jerry has been able to see trends in the science and the institutions.
Fins to Computers
2018.08.01
Mr. Christopher J. Scolese, the center director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, “Fins to Computers.” “Fins to Computers” is about Chris determining what he wanted to be when he grew up. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be an engineer. Through engineering, he learned that not all rockets needed a fin to fly. Different people helped him along the way, some famous and some not so famous, but all important to his path to NASA and Goddard.
Speak Your Mind, but Ride a Fast Horse; From GS-1 to SES. How in the world did that happen?
2018.05.30
Dennis J. Andrucyk, Deputy Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "Speak Your Mind, but Ride a Fast Horse; From GS-1 to SES. How in the world did that happen?" As kids, many of us think about what we “want to be” when we “grow up”… but that didn’t really happen for Dennis … it would have been impossible to plan his career the way it played out… change was a constant… in the end, and fortunately, he wouldn’t want to change a thing (okay… well… maybe a couple of things). Dennis shared a few career strategies, how he misread a couple of things along the way, applying for jobs (particularly SES), and the “art” of saying yes to new opportunities.
Four Satellites and a Cornfield
2018.04.13
Dr. Elizabeth M. Middleton, a senior terrestrial ecosystem and carbon cycle scientist at GSFC, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "Four Satellites and a Cornfield." In this lecture, Betsy talks about her unconventional path as a woman scientist while balancing family and care-giver responsibilities. She recently claimed her 40 year NASA Certificate and Pin. During those four decades she has been fortunate to be directly involved in four satellite missions. These were Landsat (ERRSAC), EO-1 (Mission Scientist), an ESA mission (FLEX) now in formulation phase A, and a successful NASA mission concept development team (HyspIRI). In addition, she has been involved in basic research on plant physiology and reflectance characteristics. Various in situ studies include hyperspectral and BRDF properties of plant canopies, UV-B effects on soybean, and nitrogen and drought effects on photosynthesis and fluorescence in cornfields. She was also a PI and Co-PI in the FIFE and BOREAS multi-year field campaigns.
From Beaches to Bureaucracy – Evolution(?!) of a Career(?).
2017.11.17
Dr. Michael H. Freilich, Director of the Earth Science Division, in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "From Beaches to Bureaucracy – Evolution(?!) of a Career(?)." Mike recounted events and gave insights gained during his (not necessarily efficiently productive) life as a scientist. In the context of scientific, career, and life choices, he discussed: randomness vs. plans; advice vs. impulse; risks taken and opportunities squandered; and the holy grails of discovery and accomplishment.
From Here to Boulder: With Apologies to Burt Lancaster!
2017.08.24
Dr. Antonio J. Busalacchi, President, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "From Here to Boulder: With Apologies to Burt Lancaster." Tony shared how a grandson of Sicilian immigrants ended up leading UCAR. He discussed his early years, his formative years, and how his time at Goddard prepared him for his move to College Park and then Boulder. He recounted his keys to a rewarding career, the mentors who have influenced him, and how he has shared those experiences with students and mentorees. He drew on his early work on El Nino and then concluded by peering into a crystal ball to outline what he sees in the future for Earth and environmental science.
My Journey from the Horn of Africa to NASA!
2017.08.14
Dr. Belay Demoz, Professor/Director of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), University of Maryland, Baltimore County, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "My Journey from the Horn of Africa to NASA!" Belay shared lessons learned from his unlikely, but rewarding journey from the Horn of Africa that is characterized by historic drought, civil war, geopolitics, and luck (a lot of it) and the struggle to pay it back to society through integration of science, education, and service. It is a journey that benefited from good people, unexpected opportunities, good advice and choices he made along the way (some that he did not know were good at the time), including becoming an atmospheric physicist.
50 Years of Looking at Earth, on the 50th Anniversary of ATS-1 and the Suomi Spin Scan Camera
2017.07.12
Dr. Arthur Frederick “Fritz” Hasler presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "50 years of looking at Earth, on the 50th anniversary of ATS-1 and the Suomi Spin Scan Camera." Fritz related the story of his “dad,” Prof. Verner E. Suomi – considered by many as the father of satellite meteorology, and himself, through the years while space science and remote sensing technology was marching forward. Fritz gave a picture of life before Applications Technology Satellite 1 (ATS 1), life in 1966-7 and going forward, also how our view of our planet has changed in the last 50 years.
Better to be Lucky than Good …
2017.06.06
Dr. Peter Pilewskie, Professor, University of Colorado Boulder presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "Better to be Lucky than Good …" Peter talked about how he became a scientist, the things that roused his curiosity, and the generosity of some remarkable people who provided inspiration and guidance along the way. It is a tale of uncommonly good fortune – sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good!
From the Atom to the Atmosphere and Beyond
2017.06.06
Dr. J. Vanderlei Martins, Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "From the atom to the atmosphere and beyond." Vanderlei discussed the saga of a young physicist who, like many others, wanted to follow Feynman’s and Einstein’s steps in making fundamental discoveries that would change the world, but ended up in the exciting journey of an experimental physicist learning how to measure processes in the atmosphere, reproduce them in the lab, and probe nature using satellites. This talk is also about the people around him, who helped lead the way towards new discoveries in aerosols, clouds, weather and climate.
NASA's Meadow Garden
2017.05.17
Dr. Sara Ann Tangren, Agent Associate, University of Maryland Extension, presented a Maniac lecture entitled, "NASA’s Meadow Garden." Sara shared the obstacles and opportunities that repeatedly led her to choose the road less traveled, eventually becoming a regional expert on the conservation and creation of upland meadow habitat. She also discussed the conversion of a lawn to native meadow on the GSFC campus.
Showing 1 to 24 of 76.