Astronomers for Planet Earth: Michelle Willebrands

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Michelle Willebrands, a project officer for the European Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (E-ROAD).

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Michelle Willebrands is a project manager with E-ROAD with a focus on forging partnerships between European and African scientists.

What is your current career and how did you end up there?
I am the coordinator of the International Astronomical Union’s European Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (IAU E-ROAD) based at Leiden, the Netherlands. I did a master’s degree in astronomy and decided to specialize in science communication. During this specialization, I got the chance to work at the headquarters of this office in Cape Town and learn about the field of astronomy for development. After my studies, applying for this position was a great opportunity to continue working in this niche within astronomy and I was lucky enough to get the position. Now, I look at how astronomy can contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and set up projects and collaborations to do so.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I have been involved fairly early on when the European chapter was established. I try to help out with the operations and across the various projects, including for example the recent Open Letter initiative. In general, I also try to connect A4E with the global network of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) that I am part of. Climate change and sustainability are crucial topics when addressing the sustainable development goals (SDGs), so this connection between A4E and the OAD is a very natural one to me.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
At A4E, I hope that I can keep contributing with the expertise and network that I have. One thing that matters to me a lot is the social justice aspect of the climate crisis. Currently, A4E does not represent astronomers from all over the world, although we are trying to engage with astronomers everywhere. I hope that we can achieve creating a diverse network with voices from all backgrounds and perspectives in the near future.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
Climate change was a topic that I think I always connected to astronomy in outreach, but the time that the urgency of the climate crisis really hit me may actually coincide with that of some of the other members from Europe. One of the first conferences I attended in my current position was the 2019 annual meeting of the European Astronomical Society in Lyon, France, during which there was a heatwave. To try and keep the attendants comfortable there were plastic bottles with water everywhere you looked but it was still unpleasant to be with so many people in an old building. The combination of the extreme heat, the plastic litter and the fact that so many people had travelled (by train or airplane) to take part in the conference felt a bit ridiculous and almost immoral. It was during this conference that the precursor of what is now the European A4E chapter was first raised and I joined briefly afterwards.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
In my position of E-ROAD coordinator, I am lucky enough that I can look at astronomy in the broadest sense possible: as a research field, in education and public engagement, the benefits it brings to society, but also the challenges we face in sustainable development and the role that scientists can play to address them. This means that I consider the work I do with A4E and combating climate change as a part of my astronomy career. Specifically, this translates to an educational program that we are setting up for young children called Pale Blue Dot. In this project, we use the awe-inspiring images of Earth as seen from space to teach children across the globe about the interconnectedness of our home planet and the need to work together in solidarity to protect it. Astronomy can offer a very powerful perspective on the uniqueness of the Earth and its climate which can be used in education and science communication to engage people everywhere in the fight against climate change.

Willebrands explores a local waterway, trimming the sails and steering the rudder in a wooden sailboat.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
As scientists, astronomers understand the science behind climate change and the urgency to act now. The astronomical community, like any scientific community, can be a role model in handling the climate crisis by changing their own behaviors on one hand and by engaging with the public to talk about climate change on the other. Astronomy is a field of research that has a relatively high footprint, so the astronomical community needs to reflect on the way that research is being done and adapt its practices to be more environmentally sustainable. I believe that this is our responsibility as scientists, but it is also simply necessary to make the field future-proof. Secondly, astronomers can (and should!) use the cosmic perspective on Earth to communicate and educate about the climate crisis. The sense of wonder about our vast Universe and the place of our home within it can unite people and instill a strong incentive to act against the climate crisis.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
My interests are very wide, so life could have taken me in a lot of different directions! I would love to work with my hands more, making furniture or blowing glass for example, or to take the circus sport I do as a hobby to a professional level. But I suppose I will always have a weak spot for sciences and STEAM fields, and working as a biologist or geologist also sounds terribly interesting. I am happy doing what I do but the world has a lot of amazing things to offer.

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
My advice would be to realize that we can all do something and play our part. Whether you simply talk about it with your friends, incorporate climate change into classes for your students, or raise the topic with the governance of your institute, it is all worthwhile. And most importantly, keep focusing on the positive changes we can make, it can be overwhelming to try and create change. And anyone who is looking for advice or support is of course welcome to join A4E and strengthen the movement!

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Gina Maffey

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Dr. Gina Maffey, an interdisciplinary science communicator and founder of the Wildeor Foundation.

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Gina Maffey is an experienced science communicator and interdisciplinary scientist with a guiding passion for the natural world. 

What is your current career and how did you end up there?

I currently sit as the chair of the Wildeor Foundation—a charity with the aim of Bringing Nature Back to Life. It’s been a very windy road getting here, but the path has never veered too far from environmental topics. Academically, I started in the UK with a BSc in Zoology, Masters in Ecology and Environmental Sustainability and a PhD in Environmental Science. However, during this time I also built up a portfolio of experience in science communication, including a British Science Association Media Fellowship. I began to wonder whether moving to another discipline would offer an opportunity to really understand and improve my science communication skill set. After working in South America for two years in environmental communication I accepted a part-time post in the Netherlands at the Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE)—a European Radio Astronomy Institute—where I was introduced to a whole new universe of concepts, ideas and terminology. Throughout my time at JIVE I maintained a strong connection with the natural world, also working with conservation and outdoor skills organizations - and even spending a year living outside in some of the wonderful natural areas that the Netherlands has to offer. I was inspired by many of the conversations that I had with the astronomy community and a small group of us came together to establish the Wildeor Foundation, where we are keen to explore cross-disciplinary approaches to nature connection in everyday life.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I am one of the co-founders of the European arm of A4E. This began in 2019 at the European Astronomical Society conference in Lyon—what started as a conversation with one astronomer on climate change quickly snowballed into our first official meeting by the end of the week. As we were establishing ourselves we came across the newly formed Astronomers for Planet Earth in the US; at this point, we met online and joined forces to form an international group—after all, there is only one planet we are fighting for! I continue to be actively involved in many different aspects of A4E, and currently this is focused on much of the background framework to ensure the long term sustainability of the movement.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
I really want to work towards astronomers having a key voice in the environmental movement. I continue to be inspired by the dedication and depth that astronomers engage with the climate crisis, you (astronomers) speak the language of data and you can see that data as part of a much greater and complex picture. The climate crisis may be our global society’s most pressing problem, but it sits alongside a plethora of environmental issues that require as many voices as possible to collectively shout that something needs to be done, now.

Dr. Maffey observes the delicate beauty of an elephant hawk moth.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
For me, this sits the other way round. My passion for environmental issues has never waned, and engaging with the astronomy sector has only stimulated me further. To pin an actual moment in time is difficult, but the greatest catalyst was undoubtedly meeting the wonderful group of people at the 2019 European Astronomical Society in Lyon. Many of these individuals have become friends through the A4E movement and that social interaction in turn serves as an incredible motivator.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
It has steered my career in ways that I could never have anticipated. I have been lucky enough to present and write about astronomy and climate change, which forces me to review and reflect on my own thinking and I am continually challenged by the discussions that occur through A4E. Above all though, it is influencing how the Wildeor Foundation is growing. It is now less an intersection and more a parallel, conjoined path.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
By understanding how environmental change will affect the conduct of astronomy. It is somewhat misleading to think of environmental topics under a disciplinary label. The environment should form the foundation of each action and decision that we take— what will the long term impact be? What is the true economic cost? Who will be affected by the decisions that we make now? Asking these kinds of questions embeds astronomy in both (local and global) social and environmental frameworks. It also demonstrates that there is a lot of room for change, and that, at the very least, astronomers have the power to make those changes in their own field.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
Investment banking.

No, I jest. I still think of myself as an outsider in astronomy, just as I do in ecology, environmental science and science communication. For me, the labels mean little, but my interest for nature runs deep. I know that wherever I was, even in investment banking, I would be fighting on behalf of the natural world.

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Join Astronomers for Planet Earth.
Start asking questions and challenge the status quo.
Finally, don’t be intimidated, there is an overwhelming amount of data on climate change, there are climate scientists, climate communicators, climate policy officers… the list goes on. It is impossible to read and know everything, the unifying factor is that those in the field trust what the data is telling them and understand that change has to happen now. The best thing you can do is support them and amplify their message.

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Victoria Grinberg

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Victoria Grinberg, an astrophysicist and liaison scientist at the European Space Agency's Science Division.

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Victoria Grinberg is an astrophysicist researching two of the most extreme environments in our universe: accretion disks around black holes and massive stellar winds.

What is your current career and how did you end up there?
I am a newly-minted liaison scientist with the European Space Agency (ESA). I did my PhD in Germany, held postdoctoral positions in the USA and in the Netherlands, and had a fixed term appointment leading a junior research group (roughly similar to an assistant professorship) in Germany.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I am involved in several of our working groups and am part of our ops team. I was one of the founding members of the European group.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
To make a difference!

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
For me, fighting climate change and being conscious of humanity’s future is actually a longer passion than astronomy. I was rather engaged as a high school student, but had to scale down during my studies and then the demanding postdoctoral period with several international moves. A very hot summer at a conference in Lyon and meeting several like-minded astronomers allowed me to combine both. I really needed that community—a lot of changes that need to be done cannot be done on a personal level, but have to be institutional and/or carried by the whole community. And to make them happen we need a lot of engaged people.

When she's not analyzing X-ray emission data from black holes, Dr. Grinberg creates fun and engaging science doodles on a variety of topics from surviving a PhD to portraits of women astronomers like Dr. Anna Walker. 

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
It is less my actual career and more my personal efforts to capitalize on my status as a scientist whose work the general public trusts and whose voice they want to hear— they allow me to reach a wider audience. And to be a (very imperfect!) example of what we can do.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
Listen. Amplify the message. Change our own practice as an example of what can be done. Contribute to general science literacy through outreach activities.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
Definitely some kind of science, but I don’t know which one. So many interesting possibilities out there!

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Look for like-minded people and build a support bubble for your climate crisis activities. Joining A4E is a good way to do so, but certainly not the only one. Don’t hold yourself and others to impossible standards, but try your best.

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Abigail Frost

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Abigail Frost, a postdoc at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Abigail Frost is a postdoc researching stellar formation with the European Research Council's MULTIPLES project.  

What is your current career and how did you end up there?
I am a postdoctoral research associate in astrophysics at KU Leuven (Belgium).

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I am involved in a number of working groups in A4E and have recently been involved with writing a CAP article about the organization for the journal.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
I would like to help A4E’s presence become more known and to help it create positive sustainable change in astronomy.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
When I heard about A4E. I was having a bit of a crisis of conscience because fighting for the planet is extremely important to me, but I spend my 9-5 (or longer) doing something completely separate from that. I worked hard to prove myself in my career and didn’t want to give that up, but I felt guilty. I heard about A4E at a conference and it was great, as I could finally link my career with my environmental passions.

Dr. Frost explores the vibrant beauty of a luscious, tropical garden.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
Because I have the opportunity to do a lot of outreach with schools, I feel that this is an important avenue to help spread the news of the climate crisis and emphasize that while we can dream of going to Mars and beyond, none of that will be possible on a large scale unless we look after the Earth.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
Astronomers have a fortunate view in the public eye. Astronomy is particularly successful in outreach, meaning that our voices can be heard by many people. It’s up to us when we engage that we also use this platform to talk about protecting our Earth too.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
Working in environmental/climate science.

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Join A4E and get involved. Additionally, find your own ways to share information related to the climate crisis and push for change in your own household, department and city.

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Gabriele Betancourt-Martinez

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Gabriele Betancourt-Martinez, a postdoc at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie.

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Gabriele Betancourt-Martinez is a postdoctoral researcher working on the Athena X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU)  in Toulouse, France.  

What is your current career and how did you end up there?
I’m a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie in Toulouse, France. On paper I look like I’ve had a really straight and narrow path to research, but in reality there have been a lot of wiggles and potential zig-zags. The simplest answer is that I’ve been drawn to space and astronomy since I was little, and decided when I was 13 or so that I’d pursue the subject as a career. In college, as an astronomy and physics major, I learned about the sub-field of astronomical instrumentation, which blended two of my drivers: the creativity required to design and build novel instruments, and the wonder of asking and answering scientific questions about the universe. I went to a PhD program where I could work at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on X-ray detectors that are designed to fly on satellites and observe objects like black holes and clusters of galaxies. Along the way, through other activities within the group, I also entered the field of laboratory astrophysics, which in my case, meant I was working in laboratories to recreate processes and plasmas that occur in space. My goal was to understand the atomic physics behind the X-ray spectra we measured, and to try to input this into astrophysical models to make them more accurate. When I was finishing up my PhD, I had a dream to move to California or France; it was just my luck that collaborators in Toulouse needed someone with my expertise, so I came here for a postdoc.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I’d been on the lookout for a while for some way of getting more directly involved in the fight against the climate crisis, even including considering a career change. So when I came across A4E last summer, I was excited to dig into specific activities. I eventually found a channel in the Slack workspace for a project that looked interesting and got involved there. This eventually turned into becoming the lead organizer for our open letter (https://astronomersforplanet.earth/open-letter). I’ve also now joined the “operations” group, which is a smaller subset of active members that discusses the more programmatic and organizational aspects of A4E, such as the future of our organization, how to enable accepting donations, etc.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
I’d love to see our open letter spark long-lasting conversations at research institutions and astronomical societies around the world about what we can do to minimize our carbon impact. And beyond just conversations, I hope it encourages places to act and incorporate policies prioritizing sustainability for their travel reimbursement schemes, infrastructure, and so on. I’d also love to see A4E expand into a full-fledged nonprofit organization, and help this happen however I can. A big personal goal is to learn more from other members! So many A4E members are goldmines of information, and there is so much collective knowledge shared through webinars, posted articles and blog posts, and conversations on the Slack space.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
Astronomy and nature were two of my earliest loves, though environmental action was always a hobby or way of life for me, and I chose to pursue astronomy as a profession. But something shifted as I was finishing up my PhD. My work felt really esoteric and disconnected from the urgent needs of our planet and society, and I started to feel like I wanted to pivot my career to address the climate crisis. I did a lot of soul searching and talked to a lot of people in climate science, climate solutions, and science policy. In the end I decided to stay in astrophysics research for a bit longer, but committed to finding a way to use my time and skills on both.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
There are a few ways I’ve brought the two topics together. One thing I really enjoy doing is outreach talks. When talking about exoplanets, or possible life on other worlds, it’s simple to loop in information about the Earth, its uniqueness, and its fragility. Often students will ask me what my favorite planet is, and always seem surprised when I tell them it’s Earth! Next, as part of the A4E open letter process, we are seeking institutional endorsements to the letter, and I was able to get the letter approved by the environmental committee at my institute (of which I am a part), and then finally by the lab council. But in the day to day activities of my work, it can be simple things like recycling materials rather than throwing them out, or being careful about how I book my travel.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
I think an important thing for astronomers to bring is our perspective and our tools. This is one of the key tenets of A4E, actually. We regularly think about a much larger picture, and we are acutely aware of how vast the universe is and how rare places like Earth are. We’re also in a great position to talk about the climate crisis to others: astronomers are trusted in society (I can dig up the reference for this later if needed), if we talk about the climate crisis, it won’t seem like we’re just trying to advance our own careers, and many astronomers also teach large university classes, providing a wide and diverse audience. Travis Rector, an A4E co-founder, has a great blog post about it these aspects here: https://aas.org/posts/news/2021/03/why-and-how-astronomers-should-teach-climate-change. Besides engaging with the public on climate, we can also look inward and work within our research groups and institutions on sustainability initiatives, like putting into place travel policies that restrict carbon emissions, or employing data storage or computing practices that use less energy. There are all sorts of ways for everyone to get involved, at many different scales. I think the main thing is to decide what aspects of the climate crisis are most interesting to you, and thinking about how you see yourself fitting into this puzzle. This can look like engaging through a sustainability committee at your institute, organizing an event, writing a blog post, supporting and uplifting others that you see doing work you admire, and so on.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
Um...owning and operating a vineyard for natural wine in the south of France? Or maybe that’s for later :) More seriously (cough cough), I’ve been drawn to science policy for awhile, and there are some very cool nonprofits out there that are doing great work in climate, either supporting research or influencing policy, and also diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, which is another topic very close to my heart. My postdoc position is over soon, so we’ll see where things take me next!

Dr. Betancourt-Martinez enjoys a sunny day on the slopes building an adorable snowman.

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
We need all hands on deck right now; find your niche in the movement and join us! Working as a group will be a lot more effective than as individuals, so find like-minded people to amplify your message and actions.

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Jessica Merritt Agnos

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Jessica Merritt Agnos, a graduate student studying astrophysics at San Francisco State University (SFSU) with a background in communications and film production. 

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Jessica Merritt Agnos, mother, science communicator, and co-founder of Astronomers for Planet Earth, is pictured here holding one of her children who is already enthusiastic about space. 

What is your current career and how did you end up there?

I'm an astrophysics graduate student at San Francisco State University. My undergrad degree is in Communications (TV/Film Production). I'm from New Orleans and lived in New York City for a while - having many different jobs that never truly fulfilled me. Upon moving to San Francisco, I had the opportunity to return to school when my son was born and realized astrophysics was a passion I could no longer deny.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I'm a cofounder and tend to have some level of involvement in most things that happen on a large scale. Because of my previous work experience, I’m involved in video production, and I try to get everyone on board with the ideas of marketing and branding so we can be effective in getting our message out. My husband and I spearheaded the logo design. He edits most of the videos and wrote several of the ones that have been produced so far. It’s a family affair in my household! I also have a good amount of public speaking experience, so I participate in conferences and (pre-Covid) hosted/mc'd events at SFSU for A4E.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
Right now, many of us are busy with operations and planning, trying to set up a long-term structure. This organization is very grassroots and has grown far more quickly than we ever imagined, all on a volunteer basis. As a student and mother of three, I have very limited bandwidth, so my hope is once a structure is in place, my focus can be back on video production. I want to do more video portraits of our members (like this) and really hear from our wider community. One thing that is off-putting about academia in general is the circular back scratching that occurs, which eliminates a lot of voices that should be heard. I want to tell the stories of our student members, our members in parts of the world that don't get showcased the way they should, our members who are out in their communities doing the work - maybe not the head of an institution, but a volunteer or community organizer. Climate change is already affecting people, mostly communities who have been traditionally exploited and are on the front lines. Those voices need to be elevated; their actions highlighted. I've been kicking around the idea of a podcast with a similar theme which could allow for branching out beyond the astronomical community and having interdisciplinary discussions. I keep my eye on a lot of amazing activists with whom I would LOVE to speak. Climate work requires all hands on deck and people working with one another from all backgrounds and locations. I want to do my part in making connections. We need to do a better job at showcasing the intersectionality of the climate crisis, so whatever I do in the future will be focused on that.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
I worked as a presenter in the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences, where the institution made sustainability their top priority. All of the planetarium shows had a sustainability aspect to them, and it was an obvious connection. They made a planetarium movie about coral reefs and ocean acidification that won many awards globally. It opened discussions about plastic pollution and food choices. Another interactive we did was "Living Beyond Earth" where we talked about the resources needed for the International Space Station, for a moon base, and for the trip to Mars. We really got the audience thinking about how carefully resources need to be managed to sustain life. Then we put the focus on "Spaceship Earth", and you could see the light bulbs going off in the minds of the audience members! It was so powerful. In my "Tour of the Universe" script, in which we traveled through the observable universe, I read Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" at the end as we were coming back home to Earth. I added that after the Charlottesville riots, being so heartbroken and disturbed by those events. As a woman of Central American heritage and a mother of a biracial young woman, I felt a need to give my audiences a message of unity and show how much we depend on one another for survival. In my opinion, it's not been said better than "Pale Blue Dot", so it became a staple.

These experiences were my inspiration in helping found A4E. The Cal Academy was already doing it, and it seemed to me that more astronomers should be doing the same. All the credit goes to the Morrison team for having such amazing shows.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
Going back to the Morrison Planetarium - I watched kids' and adults' minds expand while giving them messages of sustainability through the lens of the astronomical perspective. When you have the tools of a planetarium to show these obvious connections, it's very powerful. It was easy to show (as I would state in my shows) " we are not separate from 'out there', we are actually 'out there' !" Observing how impactful that was to an audience made me want to bring that message to as many people as I could.

This inspired the sustainability panel at the ASP conference that launched A4E. Dr. Adrienne Cool (associate physics chair at SFSU) and I met with ASP over the summer of 2019 because they were holding their annual conference on our campus that fall. We had a conversation about this topic being of utmost importance. Over the course of planning and bringing more voices in, A4E was born. This organization is in the fabric of the department I'm in. It's in the mindset of our students and faculty. It's not just an intersection, it's woven into who we are. Even the dean of our college has invited me to talk about A4E. I feel very lucky to be in such a mindful academic environment.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
We should be making large-scale connections every chance we get. Carl Sagan did this so masterfully, and we need to carry his torch. We are life birthed from the stars. We are all interconnected. We are all in this together. Astronomers have a beautiful perspective; we need to share it and showcase the uniqueness of our home.

It's worrisome to me when I hear others get pushback for their sustainability efforts at their institutions. It blows my mind that anyone in the astronomical community would not be putting the sustainability of our planet at the forefront considering no one knows better than astronomers how special this planet is.

Working in the planetarium really impacted me, because I saw from our museum guests almost everyone loves astronomy. It's who we are as humans - literally and figuratively. We owe civilization to the fact that we were able to discern patterns from the sky. How special is that? Astronomers are such incredible ambassadors. We need to be talking about this and sharing the awe and wonder of what we do and what we know.

(I'd like to shout-out Wendy Crumrine, another A4E founding member from SFSU who is on her way to USC for a PhD in cosmology. She has an undergrad in psychology and has developed curriculum for children that uses astronomy to develop empathy. It's amazing. My son participated in her "Wonder Hour" workshop, and he loved it. She's a treasure and a wonderful example of an astronomer doing engaging climate work.)

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
I've done a lot of different things, enough to know astronomy really makes me happy. If I wasn't doing this specifically, I'd probably be in renewable energy. I'm also very interested in nutritional science, so maybe that, too. Many of my professors joke with me that I've never met a subject I didn't like, so who knows. I'm fascinated with existence. Physics and astronomy are the building blocks of that, so that's why it captivates me. But I love seeing how it all came together to make us. We're literally sun scraps, and yet we have the ability to know that about ourselves and communicate it. That's amazing.

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Climate change is already affecting everyone in various ways and will only get worse if action isn't taken now. No profession will be able to avoid talking about it in the future. It's something everyone, including astronomers, need to be thinking and talking about, and actively playing a role in the solutions. The most important thing for anyone to do is to talk about it so it becomes obvious to the powers that be that they MUST incorporate climate action into their policies and business plans. The field of astronomy will be affected by changes in the atmosphere and severe weather. We can't insulate ourselves. With the long preamble, my advice is be mindful, be vocal, live your values, and speak up every chance you get. You won't be alone. Join us, and let's elevate each other's voices so that changes happen!

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Dr. Adrienne M. Cool

This is the seminal post for a series of features on the incredible women from Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for global climate justice. To kick things off, we'll hear from Dr. Adrienne Cool, a faculty member at San Francisco State University's Physics and Astronomy Department. 

If you're interested in supporting the effort to combat climate change, join A4E's amazing community here: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. Really, really interested? Read the white paper, Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future, to learn more about what you (yes, you!) can do right now to tackle the climate crisis.

Dr. Adrienne Cool is an observational astronomer at SFSU and the director of the SFSU Observatory and Planetarium. 

What is your current career and how did you end up there?
I've been a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at San Francisco State University for more than 20 years. I started there after doing a postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I'm one of the founders of the organization. Since we began in the fall of 2019 I've been doing a range of things, e.g., working on the website, doing intake as part of the membership working group, coordinating weekly meetings of the North America group, participating in monthly international meetings, helping organize conference sessions and symposia, giving talks, and... learning to appreciate Slack when working with people in 15 different time zones!

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
It's been very meaningful to me that nearly 1200 astronomers from more than 60 countries on 6 continents have joined A4E in the relatively short time since we were founded. As we grow we need to be creating structures and mechanisms that will enable more and more of our diverse members' voices to be heard. Students are also critical and have been leaders from the start; A4E wouldn't exist without them. I look forward to continuing to work with the amazing, caring, and committed people who have joined and are leading this organization as we shepherd ourselves through the next transition.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
The US election in 2016 was a wake-up call for me. The climate crisis had been on my mind, but the outcome of that election made me think much harder about what I could and should be doing. That's when it hit me that astronomers have an unusual perspective on our planet that could be harnessed in the struggle to combat the climate crisis. Who else knows quite as viscerally as we do just how far away the stars and their attendant planets are, not to mention the delicate set of conditions that lead to habitability? And though astronomy is a relatively small field, we have a surprisingly big reach. Astronomers all over the world interact with millions of people every year in classrooms, planetariums, and more. Putting those two things together--the astronomical perspective and the reach we have--can be powerful, I think.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
I'm fortunate to work in a university with a diverse and engaged student population and a strong commitment to social justice and activism. So it's not a stretch to see how working on astronomy, the climate crisis, and climate justice all intersect.

Dr. Cool teaches the next generation of astronomers at a sidewalk astronomy event for Mercury's transit across the sun on November 11, 2019.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement? 
There are many ways we can engage. Fundamentally, A4E exists in order for astronomers to help one another find ways to engage effectively with the climate crisis movement and make meaningful change. One way of course is to work to make our own field sustainable. That includes observatories, astronomical institutes, universities, science museums, planetaria and more. Another is to use our voices as educators and public speakers. When we're talking and teaching about astronomy and astronomical discoveries, we can make a practice of making the link between what we're learning about the cosmos and what it means about the preciousness and vulnerability of our own planet. There's more, but those are two main strands I see.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
I'd probably be a carpenter. Or maybe a school teacher. I've always loved teaching and building things. 

 
Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Join us. Astronomers for Planet Earth needs your ideas, your voice, and your help!