Today’s guest is Dr. Ellen Stofan, the Director of the National Air and Space Museum and former Chief Scientist of NASA. We loved talking with Dr. Stofan as she shared her stories, wisdom, and advice. Our conversation covered a lot of topics including the search for life in space, the challenges of getting humans to Mars, flying cars, and the recent success of the Event Horizon Telescope. We hope you enjoy our talk with Dr. Stofan as much as we did.
Show Notes & Links Of Interest
Introduction [0:00]
Dr Stofan shares her background [0:22]
Question: Where did Dr. Stofan grow up? [1:10]
Her first rocket launch [2:20]
Question: Who does Dr. Stofan view as her major mentor? [4:20]
Question: Who are other role models she suggests for girls today? [6:17]
Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures)
Question: What was her hardest thing to overcome on her journey to success? [7:43]
Question: What advice would she give a young girl pursuing her dreams? [10:07]
Over next 10-15 years there will be a shortage of 1 million pilots, only 5% of pilots are women [12:05]
Question: What are her best methods for fighting self-doubt [13:20]
Bessie Coleman [14:19]
Question: What were her responsibilities as NASA’s Chief Scientist? [18:51]
Charles Bolden [19:00]
Question: What does she think is our biggest challenge in getting to Mars? [20:27]
Question: Do you think we are going to find other forms of life in space? [22:57]
Question: Why is the Event Horizon Telescope significant? [26:25]
Question: What are you passionate or curious about right now? [29:07]
Question: How have you handled change over the course of your career? [30:50]
Question: Is there anything major that you were confident on earlier in your career that you changed your opinion on? [31:39]
Question: What one quality or trait do you feel young girls should embrace as they purse their dreams? [33:30]
Question: Are there any additional ideas, thoughts or stories you would like to share with our listeners? [35:34]
Conclusion [37:15]
Dr. Stofan’ Bio
Dr. Ellen Stofan is the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. She comes to the Museum with more than 25 years of experience in space administration and planetary science. Dr. Stofan was previously Chief Scientist at NASA, serving as the principal advisor to the Administrator on science programs and strategic planning.
She held senior scientist positions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including work on missions exploring Venus, Earth, Mars, and Saturn. She served as chief scientist for the New Millennium Program, and principle investigator on the proposed Titan Mare Explorer.
Dr. Stofan holds master’s and doctorate degrees in geological sciences from Brown University, and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William And Mary. She is an honorary professor at University College London, and was on the board of the College of William & Mary Foundation for 10 years, serving as board chair and co-chair of the development committee as it planned a $1 billion fundraising campaign.
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