![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Waldman’s first job at NASA was working with a programme called CoLab, an agency-wide project that was designed to connect individual members of the public with NASA’s work. “I shouldn’t be the one putting barriers on myself,” she said. However, having that positive experience and subsequently getting a job at NASA despite her lack of science experience empowered her to contribute to the industry. She said the reason she had never thought about science before was because she didn’t think someone with a background like hers could work at NASA she saw it as a completely different subject area. And I became so inspired by that documentary that I decided to reach out to someone at NASA and was just like, ‘Hey, I think what you do is really cool’, and I ended up getting a job at NASA from that email exchange.” “When they were interviewing all the old guys from mission control in the 1960s, they were talking about how they didn’t know anything about space exploration and were having to figure it out. But several years ago, I watched a documentary about NASA during the early days and how they were trying to send humans into space,” she said. “I went to art school, got my degree and wasn’t really thinking about anything related to science whatsoever. An art school graduate who pivoted to science, Waldman was recognised by the Obama White House as a Champion of Change in Citizen Science. What’s more, the need for more diversity in the STEM community means that even citizen scientists with non-traditional backgrounds can do this.Īriel Waldman is an Antarctic explorer, filmmaker and NASA adviser who collaborates with research teams. When we think about some of the coolest jobs in STEM, there are plenty of options to choose from, whether it’s a glaciologist studying the planet’s ice, a marine scientist exploring deep-sea habitats or someone working at NASA with their eyes on the stars.īut the beauty of working in STEM is that it can be so multidisciplinary that some find a perfect sweet spot in which they can blend their interests and build a custom science career for themselves. She spoke to Jenny Darmody about straddling these two passions. Ariel Waldman’s job takes her to the depths of the Antarctic ice but it can also turn to the skies above in her role as a NASA adviser. ![]()
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