Exclusive interview -Nancy Atkinson: The astronomy ambassador

Nancy Atkinson is a journalist, and a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador. As a journalist, she writes mainly about space exploration and science. She is the Senior Editor and writer for Universe Today, the project manager for the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast, and part of the production team for Astronomy Cast. She also has articles published on Wired.com, Space.com, NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine, Space Times Magazine, and several newspapers in the Midwest. As a Solar System Ambassador, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs.

Join us to learn more about her on this exclusive interview.

At what age did your interest in astronomy began?

My interest in astronomy stems from my interest — at a very early age — in space exploration. I was pretty young when the Apollo missions were taking place, but I remember sitting with my sister, glued to the television broadcasts of the Moon landings. Also, I grew up in a rural area in North Dakota in the US, where the night skies are amazingly beautiful, and so looking at the stars has always been a part of my life. Those interests continued even though I decided to study literature and writing in college. But after college, I always seemed to gravitate towards getting involved in space related projects – I joined the local chapter of the National Space Society, got involved in a space-related educational project and then later was hired to work at a science museum. It’s amazing to look back and see where the path of life has led you!

From your blog’s biography we know you have a BA in English Literature and you are a journalist. How did you get involved in so many and important astronomy projects (NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador Universe Today, 365 Days of Astronomy podcast, Astronomy Cast)?

I have always wanted to write, but never had an outlet or a real reason to write on a daily basis (which is what you need to do to become a proficient writer!) I was motivated to start writing while I was working at the Science Museum of Minnesota (more about that below), where I taught about space and astronomy. In one program I taught students about the International Space Station and sent home instructions to parents on how they could help their child see the ISS pass over their own backyards. Many parents would later tell me what a wonderful experience that was, and a large number of them said they didn’t know we had a space station! That, along with noting how few people actually knew any details – great or small — of what was happening at NASA and ESA, motivated me to start to write, as I knew in my heart that was what I really wanted to do: get the word out to more people about the wonders of space exploration.

I started writing articles and opinion pieces, but didn’t have much luck getting anyone to publish my work. Then, Space.com had a very short-lived program called Space Reporters Network, where they had people from around the world write about local space and astronomy events. I applied, was accepted and had a couple of articles published through that program, which solved my dilemma that every writer has: you can’t get published until you’ve been published.

Because of that, I then had the opportunity to write a few articles for newspapers in the US Midwest about local astronauts going to space, or local people who were involved at NASA. I had been reading Universe Today for awhile when I saw the publisher, Fraser Cain, was looking for additional writers. I sent him my resume and was hired.
Writing for Universe Today really opened up my world (dare I say Universe?!) and introduced me to so many wonderful people involved in space and astronomy. Ever since meeting Dr. Pamela Gay, my life has never been the same! I started working with her and Fraser on Astronomy Cast, and then because of Pamela, joined the group that was organizing the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast for the International Year of Astronomy. Things have just mushroomed from there.

What has been the most important and rewarding science education project in your life?

Working at the Science Museum of Minnesota, I had the chance to lead a program where we had a 1/3 actual size inflatable space shuttle that we brought to schools. We had a week-long program where we taught the children about all sorts of different space-related topics using hands-on activities and then on Friday we set up the space shuttle in the school gym, and did some fun space simulations. I may have had more fun than the kids; I was in space-geek heaven, and loved it. Plus, that is what ultimately got me to start writing.

Tell us about Universe Today, for how long have you been writing on the website and what has been the response of the scientific and amateur community?

Universe Today has been around since 1999, so it is one of the longest running space and astronomy news websites. Fraser Cain started it as a hobby and it grew into a website that is read all around the world, with over 3 million page views a month. I have been writing for Universe Today since 2004; at first I wrote a few articles here and there, and then Fraser asked me to write more, so I wrote half-time starting in 2007, then full-time in starting in 2008.

I feel very fortunate to be writing for Universe Today. I really enjoy the wonderful variety of topics we get to cover – all the amazing new discoveries in astronomy plus the all the remarkable missions in our exploration of space, both robotic and human. Plus, Universe Today is really the best of both worlds: it is a both a blog and a news site, so I can do interviews and write straight news articles, or I can post a picture or video and just say, “Wow, isn’t this amazing?”

It is fun to read the discussions about the articles I’ve written in the comments section on Universe Today or in the BAUT forum (Bad Astronomy Universe Today forum). I get good feedback from readers, who sometimes take me to task, and other times give me positive rubs. And it’s very gratifying to have a scientist or someone from NASA tell me I’ve done a good job conveying the details of the project I’ve interviewed them about. I take pride in making things accessible and easily understood.

What’s your perspective of science education in the United States? Do you think there is a need to impulse scientific areas on young people?

Science is a huge part of our daily lives, from cooking to recycling and comprehending the daily weather report, to reading a map and using a computer. We can’t escape the significance of science in our world, and we know that our children’s future will be filled with leaps in technology that we can only imagine. Being science literate is becoming not just an advantage, but a necessity.

The topics of space and astronomy really excite young people, and I know from experience that interests in these areas leads to interests in other science fields as well. While curiosity in these topics seems to come naturally for kids, unfortunately, many schools don’t have the time or resources to cover them adequately. Hopefully the funding for education will improve, but in the meantime, if you have an interest or experience with science, share it! There are many programs where you can get involved to help fuel young people’s interests in science. By helping children learn how to observe, collect evidence, and draw conclusions, you can help them sharpen their thinking about the ideas and events they encounter in everyday life.

Tell us about your work as Solar System Ambassador. What do you teach in that project and to how many schools around US?

I got involved in the NASA Solar System Ambassador program after talking with an engineer from JPL, Neil Mottinger (he has been involved in Voyager, MER, MRO and many other missions) who turned the tables on me during an interview where I was asking about his career in spacecraft navigation. He wanted to know about me and my background, and then told me I should apply for this great program run through JPL which has the mission of sharing the excitement and recent discoveries of space exploration with schools, libraries and community groups. I have been doing that since 2004, and it has been very rewarding.

Ambassadors receive training through monthly teleconferences, where we can talk directly with mission scientists and engineers. The majority of the training focuses on robotic missions run through JPL, but Ambassadors can give presentations on a variety of topics. My most popular presentations are the history of space exploration, NASA spinoffs, living and working in space, and Mars missions. I have given over 50 presentations at schools, libraries, and groups such as Boys and Girls Scouts.

There are almost 500 Ambassadors across the 50 US states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico, so I don’t have to travel far – all the Ambassadors just mainly give presentations in their local communities.
Here’s the link to the SSA website: http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/ambassador/

Would you like to say to few words to our spanish community interest in science and astronomy?

Space and astronomy are topics that reach across borders, across languages and bring the world together. Everyone always says how the Apollo program was a shared experience by everyone around the world, and now the astronomical discoveries and international cooperation in space are things that we as a world can all share in and be proud of. I’m thankful for working with Universe Today, and especially with the 365 Days of Astronomy, where I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people around the world. We have several people from the Spanish community who are regular contributors to the 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts, so I encourage everyone to tune in, and to contribute your own podcasts, too!

Tags: 365 days of astronomy, nancy atkinson, universe today

Category: Entrevistas