I was watching the Science Channel with my family this past weekend when a promotional ad for the channel came on. I wasn’t paying much attention until suddenly a face I recognized popped up. “I know her!” I excitedly told the room and proceeded to explain that Laura Danly, the curator of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the woman who just appeared on our TV screen, was going to be in our June edition of “Astro Confidential,” which I had just been doing the final edits on the previous week.
You see, I’m someone who is easily excited about the chance to talk to anyone whose accomplishments I admire — from athletes and actors to politicians to philanthropists and beyond. And most of the people I interview for “Astro Confidential” seem like rock stars to me — well-known, if not downright famous, in the world of astronomy … and sometimes beyond. It’s probably the reason I’m most grateful for the opportunity to work on Astronomy’s new department: How many people can say they’ve shared a joke with a Nobel Laureate, waxed philosophically with the host of a national TV show, or received positive feedback from a famed exoplanet hunter?
In the past few months, I’ve gotten to experience all three. For a young journalist just beginning her career, I’d say those are some pretty cool opportunities.
And in honor of my excitement, here’s a preview of who I had to the opportunity to interview for the May issue of Astronomy magazine, on newsstands March 31:
- Annette Ferguson — associate professor of astronomy at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland
- Jay Gallagher — professor of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and editor-in-chief of The Astronomical Journal
- Geoff Marcy — professor of astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley and exoplanet hunter
- Josiah McElheny — artist of the traveling exhibit Island Universe, a set of abstract sculptures that creates a scientifically accurate model of the Big Bang
- Sara Seager — associate professor of planetary science and associate professor of physics at MIT