For the Love of Science The Bay Area Environmental Research Institute

In this special episode, hear the story of BAERI’s founding from the founders themselves: husband and wife team Robert Bergstrom and Sharon Sittloh.


 
 

In this episode we hear from planetary scientist Victoria Hartwick who works with the Mars Climate Modeling Center at NASA Ames. The conversation includes a discussion about Dr. Hartwick’s paper that explores whether wind turbines on Mars could be a viable source of energy for future humans on that planet, then ranges to how clouds form in the highest reaches of the atmosphere, how climate models work, and how planetary climates, including our own here on Earth, are affected by the space environment around them.
Quick Glossary Exoplanet - Any planet outside of our solar system (i.e., a planet revolving around a star that is not our Sun)
Climate model - Computer programs that simulate weather patterns over time
Kelvin - The temperature scale used in exoplanetary science
Ablation - The breaking up of a meteor when it travels through Earth’s atmosphere
Noctilucent clouds - Pearlescent extremely high-altitude clouds visible at dawn and dusk. They are formed on meteoric smoke.

What’s it like to work as a climate scientist today? In this episode I speak with climate scientist Kristina Pistone about her research, her role on the sustainability commission for the city of Sunnyvale in California, and how our current system of science funding impacts her ability to do her work. 
More about Kristina: https://baeri.org/people/kristina-pistone
How to save a planet podcast: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet/llh8gxg/is-your-carbon-footprint-bs

In this two-part series we meet two researchers who will soon be working with data from the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope. In Part II, I speak with Jesse Bregman, an astrophysicist who has spent his 50 year career at NASA Ames, and been part of some pretty amazing leaps in infrared astronomy. The conversation ranges from the backyard telescope he and his brother built, to how astrochemistry research could lead us to an understanding of the origins of life on Earth.
You can learn more about Jesse's work by going to researchgate.net/profile/bregman-jesse.

In this two-part series we meet two researchers who will soon be working with data from the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope. In this episode, Part I, I speak with early career astronomer Taylor Bell about his work categorizing exoplanets and the path that led him to where he is today.
You can learn more about Taylor and his work by visiting taylorbell.ca

Fourteen current and alumni researchers at the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute answer the question: What does science mean to you?
We hear from:
Geert Barentsen
Ann Marie Cody
Christina Hedges
Susan Hoban
Darlene Lim
Amber McCullum
Zara Mirmalek
Sommer Nicholas
Juan Torres Perez
Emily Schaller
Cindy Schmidt
Alex Sehlke
Katie Stern
Nikki Tulley
This episode was edited and scored by Danny Clay.