Dylan was a kid who found comfort in math and fun in music, but ultimately he followed a path to science. He became a physicist and was inspired to study climate change by a speech that US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu gave, as well as his time working at a backcountry lodge in the Canadian Rockies...

Katie was a curious, hard-working kid, but it wasn't until her freshman year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that she found her calling. That year, she happened to be placed in two geography classes, and her career trajectory started falling into place. Katie McMahon is now a PhD ...

To prepare for the moment his telescope landed on the moon, Brian read sports psychology books. "You're not going to read Kepler or Isaac Newton [to learn] about how to deal with high pressure situations," he said. It turned out he didn't actually need much help. Brian Walsh is a space physicist and...

Sarah Kugel grew up smashing pokeweed berries to make her own paint and assembling intricate habitats for garter snakes. She was a kid who loved nature, and, when she went to college, she majored in resource ecology. But Sarah always had an interest in business as well, and now she combines the two ...

I'm thankful for all of you, and for the scientists who make this podcast possible! I hope you have a relaxing and peaceful Thanksgiving. If you'd like to email us with comments or suggestions, we'd love to hear them at socializingwithscientists@gmail.com . Find us on the Socializing with Scientists...

Brad grew up in small town Illinois, playing outside all summer, building go-karts and tree houses in the woods. He went to the University of Illinois to study engineering and Carnegie Mellon for robotics. Later, he shrunk his focus: he began building tiny robots the size of a grain of sand. Now, Br...

Melissa was born into a family of scientists, but she always wanted to be a historian. As she grew up, however, she realized that science allowed her to satisfy her infinite curiosity and desire for discovery, and so she "went into the family business." Melissa Harrison, PhD, is now a molecular biol...

Case was a regular California kid: he skateboarded, he surfed, and he also liked math. He tried a few different majors in college, but finally found his calling: environmental engineering. He went to graduate school, and a lucky encounter during the first week changed his whole life. Case van Genuch...

Ever since she was a little girl, Cassia has loved playing the piano. Her mother made sure she had music lessons, and Cassia felt like she was fulfilling her mother's dream learning the instrument. But she also loved science and math, and after her undergrad years she found herself searching for a r...