Interviewing Experts: Thomas Wagner
February 21, 2023— 8:00pm Eastern to 9:00pm Eastern
Mary Robinette hosts an interview with an expert in their field once a month for her $30 Patreon supporters. The topic rotates depending on the guest’s area of expertise. Mary Robinette will interview the guest as if she were preparing to write something featuring their job – which means interesting jargon, behind-the-scenes challenges, and unexpected joys! At the end of the session, you get to ask them questions, too. These sessions will be recorded for those who need to watch asynchronously, and you can submit questions ahead of time.
On February 21 at 8:00pm Eastern, Thomas Wagner is joining us.
Tom Wagner is a space scientist based in Washington DC. He currently leads NASA’s Discovery Program, which develops robotic missions to explore the solar system, while also serving as NASA’s Program Scientist for the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan. Tom’s career started in geology, but after a PhD spent making magma in a basement lab at MIT, he struck out for the South Pacific. While teaching at the University of Papua New Guinea, he studied volcanoes, dived the Great Barrier reef, and consulted for the United Nations and World Bank on development projects. He later moved to the US Antarctic Program and has been to the South Pole six times, including crossing the Drake Passage by ship. Over the years, Tom has created numerous government research programs focused on climate change, sea level rise, and the Earth’s icy regions. He has also served on various government committees and is a regular reviewer of climate change assessments.
Outside of NASA, Tom moonlights as a science consultant and futurist for movies, television, and video games. He can otherwise be found talking to everyone from kids to business executives about global warming and curious facts about other planets.
You can find him at @tomwagner on Twitter where he tweets interesting science.
The first portion of this conversation will be publicly livestreamed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGJvz456thA.
Then, we will turn off the livestream and invite Patreon supporters to ask their own questions.
Become a backer on Patreon and join in the entire conversation!
