Links To Checkout

Me: *sees a post about a Fandom I've only absorbed through Tumblr osmosis*

Also me: *gasp* What is op talking about!?!?! What a gross mischaracterization!!!!

NASA Spotlight: Earth Climate Scientist Dr. Yolanda Shea

Dr. Yolanda Shea is a climate scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center. She’s the project scientist for the CLARREO Pathfinder (CPF) mission, which is an instrument that will launch to the International Space Station to measure sunlight reflected from Earth. It will help us understand how much heat is being trapped by our planet’s atmosphere. Her mission is designed to help us get a clearer picture than we currently have of the Earth’s system and how it is changing

Yolanda took time from studying our home planet to answer questions about her life and career! Get to know this Earth scientist:

What inspired you to study climate science?

Starting in early middle school I became interested in the explanations behind the weather maps and satellite images shown on TV. I liked how the meteorologists talked about the temperature, moisture, and winds at different heights in the atmosphere, and then put that together to form the story of our weather forecasts. This made me want to learn more about Earth science, so I went to college to explore this interest more.

The summer after my junior year of college, I had an internship during which my first assignment was to work with a program that estimated ocean currents from satellite measurements. I was fascinated in the fact that scientists had discovered a way to map ocean currents from space!

Although I had learned about Earth remote sensing in my classes, this was my first taste of working with, and understanding the details of, how we could learn more about different aspects of the physical world from satellite measurements.

This led to my learning about other ways we can learn about Earth from space, and that includes rigorous climate monitoring, which is the area I work in now.

What does a day in your life look like?

Before I start my workday, I like to take a few minutes to eat breakfast, knit (I’m loving sock knitting right now!), and listen to a podcast or audio book. Each workday really looks different for me, but regardless, most days are a combination of quieter moments that I can use for individual work and more interactive times when I’m interfacing with colleagues and talking about project or science issues. Both types of work are fun in different ways, but I’m glad I have a mixture because all researchers need that combination of deep thinking to wrap our minds around complex problems and also time to tackle those problems with others and work on solving them together.

When do you feel most connected to Earth?

I’ve always loved sunsets. I find them peaceful and beautiful, and I love how each one is unique. They are also a beautiful reminder of the versatility of reflected light, which I study. Sitting for a moment to appreciate the beauty and calm I feel during a sunset helps me feel connected to Earth.

What will your mission – CLARREO Pathfinder – tell us about Earth?

CLARREO Pathfinder (CPF) includes an instrument that will take measurements from the International Space Station and will measure reflected sunlight from Earth. One of its goals is to demonstrate that it can take measurements with high enough accuracy so that, if we have such measurements over long periods of time, like several decades, we could detect changes in Earth’s climate system. The CPF instrument will do this with higher accuracy than previous satellite instruments we’ve designed, and these measurements can be used to improve the accuracy of other satellite instruments.

How, if at all, has your worldview changed as a result of your work in climate science?

The longer I work in climate science and learn from the data about how humans have impacted our planet, the more I appreciate the fragility of our one and only home, and the more I want to take care of it.

What advice would you give your younger self?

It’s ok to not have everything figured out at every step of your career journey. Work hard, do your best, and enjoy the journey as it unfolds. You’ll inevitably have some surprises along the way, and regardless of whether they are welcome or not, you’re guaranteed to learn something.

Do you have a favorite metaphor or analogy that you use to describe what you do, and its impact, to those outside of the scientific community?

I see jigsaw puzzles as a good illustration of how different members of a science community play a diverse set of roles to work through different problems. Each member is often working on their own image within the greater puzzle, and although it might take them years of work to see their part of the picture come together, each image in the greater puzzle is essential to completing the whole thing. During my career, I’ll work on a section of the puzzle, and I hope to connect my section to others nearby, but we may not finish the whole puzzle. That’s ok, however, because we’ll hand over the work that we’ve accomplished to the next generation of scientists, and they will keep working to bring the picture to light. This is how I try to think about my role in climate science – I hope to contribute to the field in some way; the best thing about what I have done and what I will do, is that someone else will be able to build on my work and keep helping humanity come to a better understanding of our Earth system.

What is a course that you think should be part of required school curriculum?

Time and project management skills – I think students tend to learn these skills more organically from their parents and teachers, but in my experience I stumbled along and learned these skills through trial and error. To successfully balance all the different projects that I support now, I have to be organized and disciplined, and I need to have clear plans mapped out, so I have some idea of what’s coming and where my attention needs to be focused.

Another course not specifically related to my field is personal financial management. I was interested in personal finance, and that helped me to seek out information (mainly through various blogs) about how to be responsible with my home finances. There is a lot of information out there, but making sure that students have a solid foundation and know what questions to ask early on will set them to for success (and hopefully fewer mistakes) later on.

What’s the most unexpected time or place that your expertise in climate science and/or algorithms came in handy?

I think an interesting part of being an atmospheric scientist and a known sky-watcher is that I get to notice beautiful moments in the sky. I remember being on a trip with friends and I looked up (as I usually do), and I was gifted with a gorgeous sundog and halo arc. It was such a beautiful moment, and because I noticed it, my friends got to enjoy it too.

Can you share a photo or image from a memorable NASA project you’ve worked on, and tell us a little bit about why the project stood out to you?

I absolutely loved being on the PBS Kids TV Show, SciGirls for their episode SkyGirls! This featured a NASA program called Students’ Clouds Observations On-Line (S’COOL). It was a citizen science program where students from around the globe could take observations of clouds from the ground that coincided with satellite overpasses, and the intention was to help scientists validate (or check) the accuracy of the code they use to detect clouds from satellite measurements. I grew up watching educational programming from PBS, so it was an honor to be a science mentor on a TV show that I knew would reach children across the nation who might be interested in different STEM fields. In this photo, the three young women I worked with on the show and I are talking about the different types of clouds.

To stay up to date on Yolanda's mission and everything going on in NASA Earth science, be sure to follow NASA Earth on Twitter and Facebook.

🌎 If you're looking for Earth Day plans, we have live events, Q&As, scavenger hunts and more going on through April 24. Get the details and register for our events HERE.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

The Masterlist, go here to find stories

Masterlist

So I know some people miss out on the link, so here’s a post devoted ONLY to the masterlist

What the Room of Requirement is for the Signs

Aries: a room of glass. Every crevice is filled with different lights that shoot off the glass and make a spectacular light show through the air. It smells like fire.

Taurus: a seemingly empty room. However when you step on a certain floor tile, the walls unfold to transform the room into a multicoloured geode cavern.

Gemini: a room of riches that alternates and has a life of its own. Every piece of treasure tells you a story, but you can only keep your treasure if you tell it a satisfactory story in return. 

Cancer: an underwater room. The walls cast waves on the floor and mysterious creatures of the deep always seem to be in the corner of your eye, yet when you look they're gone. Stay too long and you may start to actually believe you are underwater. Severe risk of "phantom" drowning. 

Leo: a dark room. Everything seems dark and lonesome at first, but in the corner there is a small slip of paper with an incantation on it; say it and the room will light up with glow worms, which string themselves and their silk webs from the ceiling. The glow worms will tell you your future if you ask the right questions. 

Virgo: a room made to look like a meadow. The grass changes colours according to your mood. Creatures emerge out from under 12 foot flowers. But beware, if you eat the food (which is meant only for fae consumption) you will be locked in the room forever. 

Libra: a room of moving art. Unlike the living art in Hogwarts this art is a world all its own. You may enter any picture that you wish and you will be taken to the world portrayed within it. Don't go into the picture on the far right, the picture of the sky at night, you will never come out again. 

Scorpio: a room of mysteries. A room overflowing with books, antiques and robes from ancient eras. A book in the corner whispers dark secrets that no person was ever meant to hear. If you listen for too long, you will be trapped in the room, alone, always. 

Sagittarius: a room made to look like the rainforest. Animals lurk in the tall leaves here, some friends others foe. If you climb the tallest tree in the the center of the room, you will see space in a way it has never revealed itself to anyone else before you. 

Capricorn: a room of life. All around you are ghosts of people you should've met but never got to. You can watch the two ballerinas dance in the far corner, talk to the adventurer you were meant to meet before fate intervened, even discover your lost soul mate who was taken from you too early by Death. Stay too long and you risk becoming a ghost yourself. 

Aquarius: a room of alternate universes. This room is quite simple in its appearance: there are hundreds of tables laid out side by side, each covered in books. Each books contains your story and life from another universe. They are everything you should've been, could've been and dreamed to be. When you open a book, the room to transforms itself into a screen where you can watch your entire alternate life play out right In front of you. This room can cause insanity among the weak. 

Pisces: a room of secrets. There is a picture of every person you have ever met and will ever meet in this room. Hidden in each picture is their darkest secret. Once you find their secret, their picture disappears and is replaced with another. There is one catch: for each secret you discover, you hand over a small piece of your humanity. 

PSA: Don’t smoke, kids!  I actually almost did not include the flashback with Future Donnie for a number or reasons, but decided I wanted to give a little look into my interpretation of his character.  Also I like drawing his eyebrows.  More of my thoughts after the link. 

BEGINNING || PREVIOUS || NEXT

Keep reading

do I care about the citizens and the fate of a fictional nation more than I care for my own health? yes. should I care this much? probably not, but who’s going to stop me? god? the universe would stop growing before I loosen my heart’s clutches on this block game.

Round 2 Rise Fam!

Another watch party is happening! Let’s all show up Friday so we can get that tag trending again!

He smiled like nothing happened.

He tried to grow his beard and hair like Qui-gon. He thought it was a good idea.

pink moon.

the rottmnt movie just altered my brain chemistry forever