Earthwatch Podcast

This summer, ten high school girls from Massachusetts were selected to participate in the Earthwatch Girls in Science Fellowship Program in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. On this episode of the Earthwatch Podcast – the latest in our series highlighting amazing women in science – you’ll hear from some of the bright young women who participated in this summer program. To learn more about this fellowship program, visit our website: Girls in Science. If you would like to support future Girls in Science fellows, you can make a donation through our website. (The music in this trailer is by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

Earthwatch researcher Lynne MacTavish has dedicated her life to conserving rhinos. As operations manager for a private reserve in South Africa, Lynne is on the frontlines of the fight to protect this species and has witnessed the horrors of poaching first hand. On this episode of the Earthwatch Podcast, the next in our series highlighting amazing women in science, Lynne shares the plight rhinos face and some of the solutions they’re exploring to save this charismatic species. To learn more about this research, visit the project’s website: Conserving Endangered Rhinos in South Africa. (The music in this trailer is by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

Gana Wingard, lead scientist on the expedition Wildlife of the Mongolian Steppe, has been working for more than 20 years to conserve the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve and empower the local communities to take an active role in this work. On this episode of the Earthwatch Podcast, the next in our series highlighting amazing women in science, Gana shares how she was inspired to pursue a career in conservation, the importance of community involvement, and how she’s working to create the next generation of environmental stewards. To learn more about Gana’s research, visit the project’s website: Wildlife of the Mongolian Steppe. (The music in this trailer is by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

On this episode, we travel to California’s Catalina Island where we’re continuing our quest to celebrate women in science. And what better way to do that than by celebrating science teachers? The very people who are inspiring the next generation of scientists, communicators, and champions for the environment. Hear about the experience of four educators working alongside researchers studying the effectiveness and health of Marine Protected Areas, all the while making the science come alive for their students. To learn more about the research being conducted on Catalina, visit the project’s website: Conserving Marine Life Along Catalina’s Coast. (The music in this trailer is by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

In this episode, we’re continuing to celebrate women in science by bringing you to Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park where Dr. Nucharin Songsasen is working with a team of scientists to monitor the behavior and health of an elusive and endangered species of wild dog – the dhole. Nucharin shares her experience as a female scientist from Thailand working in America and the challenges and opportunities she’s had throughout her impressive career. To learn more about Nucharin’s research, visit the project’s website: Tracking Asiatic Wild Dogs in Thailand. (The music in this trailer is by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

In this episode, we take you to Kenya’s Maasai Mara where Earthwatch scientist Dr. Caroline Ng’weno is studying the interactions between predators, their prey, and livestock. In pursuit of her scientific endeavors, Caroline faced many hurdles, both professional and personal. But despite this, she persevered. She shares her experience as a female in a male-dominated field, and how she was able to get to where she is today, thanks in part to support from Earthwatch. To learn more about Caroline’s research, visit our website: Lions and Their Prey in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. (The music in this trailer is by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

Over the next several episodes, we’re highlighting women in science! We take you to the grassy savanna of Kenya’s Maasai Mara to Mongolia’s wild and rocky Gobi Desert and beyond to hear from some of the amazing and incredible women we at Earthwatch are lucky enough to work with. You’ll hear from scientists, teens, graduate students and many more on their careers, their passion for science, and how they got to where they are today. (The music in this trailer is by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the creative commons Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

Dr. Bill Moomaw is quite the accomplished individual. He has lived a life dedicated to environmental policy and action through his time spent as lead author for several reports from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the head of the science advisory committee on Earthwatch's Board of Directors to chairing the board of the Woods Hole Research Center. He sat down with us to guide us through the ins and outs of how humans have responded to climate change over the years – from the view of society and politics – and how individuals can take action today to slow global warming. (The music in this episode is “Partly Sage” by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

While many view sea otters as adorable, charismatic creatures, the local residents of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska have a much different opinion. For them, sea otters have destroyed their fisheries and destroyed their livelihoods. Learn more about this complex relationship and how the ecosystem has shifted with the growing presence of this top-level predator. (The music in this episode is “Partly Sage” by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the Attribution-Noncommercial License.)

In Southeast Alaska, sea otters have made a critical comeback after their populations were decimated during the fur trade. With their numbers growing, how are these charismatic critters impacting the ecosystem? Learn about the critical role this species plays in maintaining the health of seagrass habitat and what Earthwatch researchers and volunteers have uncovered so far. (The music in this episode is “Partly Sage” by Blue Dot Sessions, provided under the Attribution-Noncommercial License.)