HYDROSPHERE EDITORIAL Women in Geoscience : An interview with Claire Parkinson Claire Parkinson 1 * About you 1. What do you do at NASA? *Corresponding author: Claire Parkinson, Climate Change Senior Scientist, NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA E-mail: claire.l.parkinson@nasa.gov Additional information is available at the end of the article I have two major official roles at NASA: (1) doing sea ice research using satellite data and (2) serving as Project Scientist for the Earth-observing satellite named Aqua. Like many NASA scientists, I also do quite a bit of outreach to students, teachers, and the general public. 2. What is your background, and what made you decide to be a climate scientist? As a child, my favourite subject was always math. I loved the precision, the simplicity, the power, and the beauty of math; plus I liked the fact that compared with many other subject areas, there was relatively little disagreement over what the correct answers were. Hence, I naturally majored in math in college (specifically, Wellesley College). However, much as I loved theoretical math intellectually, I was also deeply affected by wider events taking place in the world, strongly supporting the Civil Rights movement and deeply concerned by the Vietnam War. This led to my decision to switch out of theoretical math and into something less abstract. The Antarctic Treaty, preserving an entire continent for peaceful scientific research, was very appealing to me and I decided that I wanted to go to Antarctica and do research there. I consequently became a graduate student at Figure 1. Claire at an ice ridge in the Central Arctic, 28 April 1999. Source: Photo by Elizabeth Arnold. 2018 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. Page 1 of 12
Figure 2. Launch of the Aqua spacecraft, 4 May 2002. Source: Photo by Bill Ingalls. Ohio State University and participated on an Ohio State expedition to Antarctica. While still a graduate student, I heard a talk on the emerging field of computer modelling of the Earth s atmosphere and was so enthralled by the possibility of modelling the Earth s climate that I asked the speaker, Warren Washington, how I could get involved in this type of work. This led to my spending two years at his institution, the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, developing a computer model of sea ice for my PhD dissertation. Once the dissertation was nearly completed, I gave a talk about the sea ice model at a conference in Seattle, where a scientist from NASA, Jay Zwally, asked me if I would be interested in working at NASA. I was thrilled with the suggestion, submitted an application, and started work at NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center the following year, in July 1978, as a climate scientist continuing the computer modelling work and adding satellite data analysis. As time went on, I did less computer modelling and more data analysis. 3. What do you like most about your job? I tremendously enjoy being a part of NASA, i.e., being a part of the agency that landed humans on the Moon and rovers on Mars, that has obtained spectacular, awe-inspiring views of the universe from the Hubble Space Telescope and elsewhere, that has sent probes far into the solar system, returning amazing images of Saturn and Jupiter and Pluto, and that engages the public in exciting events over and over again. It is an incredible privilege to be a part of this agency and to have a role in its societally-relevant Earth-observing program. Page 2 of 12
Figure 3. The Aqua spacecraft prior to launch. Source: Photo by Sally Aristei. Research 4. What kind of climate research do you do at NASA? I study sea ice, using satellite data and computers to calculate, map, and plot the concentration and extent of the ice and analyze its changes over time. My colleagues and I use microwave data from satellites, which allows us to monitor the ice throughout the year, even in the midst of polar darkness, because the microwave radiation is coming from within the Earth system. Another advantage of using microwave data is that some of the microwave radiation can go straight through clouds, allowing us essentially to see through the clouds and collect data about the sea ice even when there are clouds in the way. We now have a satellite record of sea ice in both polar regions that goes back to the 1970s. We have used that record to detect and quantify major losses (and some gains) of Arctic sea ice and also changes in the Antarctic sea ice. 5. What can you tell us about NASA s Aqua satellite mission and about being the Aqua Project Scientist? Aqua is an Earth-observing satellite that was launched in May 2002 and since then has been collecting data about the Earth s atmosphere, oceans, land, and ice. The satellite orbits the Earth every 98.8 min, at an altitude of 705 km, and it carries six Earth-observing instruments: four from the U.S., one from Japan, and one from Brazil. The Aqua data have been used by hundreds of scientists around the world in thousands of scientific publications. The data are also routinely used for practical applications such as improved weather forecasting and monitoring forest fires, dust storms, sea ice, crop yields, volcanic emissions, and aspects of air quality. The mission had a design life of 6 years, Page 3 of 12
Figure 4. Claire in a TRW cleanroom with the Aqua spacecraft, 19 December 2001. Source: Photo by Mike Comberiate. but it is still going strong over 15 years after launch. We hope that some of the Aqua instruments will continue collecting data into the early 2020s, after which the mission will likely be terminated as a result of its diminishing fuel supply. I have been the Aqua Project Scientist since May 1993, i.e., starting 9 years before the satellite was launched. As Project Scientist, I am the primary link between the widely-based Aqua science community and NASA Headquarters, Aqua Project management (responsible for the construction of the Aqua hardware prior to launch), and Aqua Mission Operations (responsible for operating the satellite after launch). This involves such diverse roles as representing Aqua at various meetings and Figure 5. Claire on an ice floe in the Bering Sea, about to step into a boat to head back to the main ship, Surveyor, in the background, March 1981. Source: Photo by Seelye Martin. Page 4 of 12
Figure 6. NASA team campsite on Ellesmere Island, in the Canadian Arctic, 26 April 1999. speaking engagements, chairing Aqua telecons and other meetings, leading a biennial Aqua proposal process for keeping the mission funded, and addressing a wide variety of issues as they arise. 6. You were one of the first female scientists to visit Antarctica. Tell us more about this expedition. I was a graduate student at the time and was very fortunate that Ohio State University glaciologist Terry Hughes recognized that I had come to Ohio State specifically for the opportunity to go to Antarctica and selected me to be part of his December 1973-January 1974 Antarctic expedition. Terry was an early leader in raising concerns over the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and the expedition was a pilot study measuring the flow of the ice into a recently erupted volcanic crater on Deception Island, just off the Antarctic Peninsula. Our team of four people stayed at an Argentine base, as each of the other two bases on the island had been destroyed during the recent eruption. We slept in a building rather than tents, and although the sleeping rooms were not heated and there was no running water, these inconveniences were quite manageable as our sleeping bags kept all except our faces warm, and we were able to collect water from a nearby well. Getting to our work site each day required motoring across a span of water in a small Zodiac inflatable boat, climbing to the volcanic crater, and surveying stakes to determine their motions over time. Our one connection with the rest of the world was that we had a requirement to make radio contact each day with a ship in the vicinity, and that requirement was sometimes a major problem, as radio contact was not always automatic. Still, it was felt essential because of the volcanic nature of the island. I was the only female on the ship going down to Antarctica (from South America) and the only female at that time on Deception Island. There was no problem in being the only female on the island, but the captain of the ship was initially quite upset about having a female on the ship. On our return from Deception Island, we were instead on a tourist ship, getting free passage in return for giving talks to the tourists. There were many females on that ship. Returning on a tourist ship had the huge bonus of allowing us to see several other spots along the Antarctic Peninsula and many Page 5 of 12
Figure 7. Scenic view along the Antarctic Peninsula, 8 January 1974. more examples of Antarctic wildlife in addition to the tens of thousands of penguins that we saw on Deception Island. 7. What do you hope to research next? If I ever retire, I would like to look further into the history of science. Women in Geoscience 8. Tell us more about the Women of Goddard initiative you led. In early November 2010, former Goddard employee and astronaut Mary Cleave called to tell me that the Maryland Women s Heritage Center (MWHC) was about to prepare an exhibit on Maryland women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and asked me if I would be interested in getting Goddard involved. This led to a brainstorming meeting at Goddard followed by the production of a Women of Goddard book and six Women of Goddard posters. All women employed at Goddard were given the opportunity to contribute to the book, and the resulting book highlights 103 Goddard women in STEM careers. The book contains one page for each woman, with a photo, a description of the woman s career and other aspects of her life, and a meaningful quote. Altogether, it provides a flavour of a wide variety of STEM career possibilities. The six posters have three main messages: NASA engages in awesome and meaningful work; there are many career opportunities for being involved in that work; and many women are involved. The MWHC was thrilled with both the book and the posters, and the posters remained on display at their Center in Baltimore for over five years. In addition, all of us involved recognized the value of these products for outreach well beyond the MWHC and so we printed thousands of copies of both the book and the posters to give to teachers, students, and others. Page 6 of 12
Figure 8. View of the recently erupted volcanic crater where Claire worked with her teammates on Deception Island, Antarctica, 9 January 1974. 9. Have you had to overcome any gender barriers in your career? Figure 9. Claire with teammates and Argentine hosts near the Argentine base on Deception Island, 21 January 1974. Source: Photo by Henry Brecher. I have never felt that there were any gender barriers holding me back in terms of promotions or explicit career advancement, but I feel there have been many ways in which being female has been a disadvantage. For instance, on many occasions I have felt that I and other women scientists have not been listened to as carefully as if we had been men. I also think that, in general (but with many exceptions), publications written by women tend to be read by fewer people and cited by fewer Page 7 of 12
Figure 10. Claire (second from right) and others dogsledding toward the North Pole, 27 April 1999. Source: Photo by Mike Comberiate. people than if the same publication were written by a man instead. (It would be difficult to prove that these perceived disadvantages are real; and although I think they are real, I am also very much aware that the problems have been significantly reduced over time, i.e., that considerable progress toward equality has been made. It certainly helps that there are now far more women in my area of geosciences than when I started. Early in my NASA career, I was almost always the only woman in the science discussions I was involved in, but that is definitely no longer the case.) 10. Why should more young people continue with the study and profession of STEM subjects? Do you have any messages or advice for them? Figure 11. Campsite near the North Pole, 27 April, 1999, where the NASA team was hosted by the Paul Schurke dogsled team. Being a STEM professional is exciting. It allows you to discover things, create things, develop and test ideas, and contribute to one or more aspects of human understanding, knowledge, and well-being, Page 8 of 12
Figure 12. Scene from the Deception Island penguin rookery, 13 January 1974. and, wonderfully, to get paid for doing this. Also, for those who like to travel, it can be a major plus that as a STEM professional, considerable travel both to meetings and to do field work can be a part of your job. Some advice for students interested in becoming a STEM professional: Learn math basics well; dig deeper into topics that interest you; and don t become overly discouraged if you encounter a STEM course that you dislike, as there are many STEM fields and there is no need for you to like them all (also, disliking an individual course could be much more because of the teacher or the book than because of the subject). Figure 13. Loading the zodiac for the daily journey to the work site on Deception Island, Antarctica, January 1974. Page 9 of 12
Figure 14. The tourist ship Lindblad Explorer that Claire and her teammates took on their return journey from Antarctica, here anchored at Potter Cove, King George Island, 22 January 1974. 11. Do you have any messages or advice to geoscientists early in their career? Yes: Pursue the topics that interest you the most. Maintain integrity in your science, even when it might mean having a shorter publication list and sometimes becoming less popular with your colleagues. Treat others with respect and fairness; this includes not gossiping and not jumping to negative conclusions about other scientists and their intents. Appreciate and thank support personnel, including programmers, secretaries, administrative assistants, resource analysts, security guards, etc. Join two or three key professional societies, and aim for a reasonable level of involvement in at least one of them (while not overdoing it). Keep in mind, through whatever difficulties might come your way, how lucky we are to have jobs where we get paid to pursue scientific research. General questions 12. What are your biggest concerns for the future within the geoscience field? (1) Concern about the very low percentage rate of which worthy proposals get funded and the related need for scientists to spend what seems like an inordinate amount of time writing proposals rather than doing science. (2) Concern that some topics (like climate change) have become so politicized and receive so much media attention that discussions about them often steer far away from balanced scientific discourse, sometimes even degenerating into nasty personal attacks. Page 10 of 12
Figure 15. The National Science Foundation vessel Hero that Claire and her teammates took to the Antarctic, here in port at Ushuaia, Argentina, 24 December 1973. 13. What are some of your major achievements and honors that have not been mentioned so far? I have written books on satellite observations of the Earth, climate change, and the history of science, have led an effort that produced an atlas of satellite observations of Arctic sea ice, and have been involved as an author or editor of several other books. My major honors include election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and the American Philosophical Society. 14. What has been the greatest challenge that you have faced or continue to face in your career? Probably the greatest challenge I have is dealing with the fact that I have seizures (occasionally) and all that that entails, both on a very concrete practical level (like restricting driving) and also on a less concrete level (for instance, in making me less confident than I might otherwise be and in making my concerns and goals often quite different from those of my colleagues). 15. Who or what inspires you? I am inspired by the athletes in the Special Olympics and by many stories of people who have overcome difficulties. I am also inspired by the focus, achievements, and life stories of many of the noted scientists of the past, whose work led to the development of modern science. 16. How can others find you on Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Research Gate? Or do you have a personal website? Website: https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/claire.l.parkinson. Page 11 of 12
Author details Claire Parkinson 1 E-mail: claire.l.parkinson@nasa.gov 1 Climate Change Senior Scientist, NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA. Citation information Cite this article as: Women in Geoscience : An interview with Claire Parkinson, Claire Parkinson, Cogent Geoscience (2018), 4: 1434593. 2018 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. You are free to: Share copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format Adapt remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms: Attribution You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits. Cogent Geoscience (ISSN: 2331-2041) is published by Cogent OA, part of Taylor & Francis Group. Publishing with Cogent OA ensures: Immediate, universal access to your article on publication High visibility and discoverability via the Cogent OA website as well as Taylor & Francis Online Download and citation statistics for your article Rapid online publication Input from, and dialog with, expert editors and editorial boards Retention of full copyright of your article Guaranteed legacy preservation of your article Discounts and waivers for authors in developing regions Submit your manuscript to a Cogent OA journal at www.cogentoa.com Page 12 of 12