Recently, I had the pleasure to sit down with Dr. Liz Warren of CASIS (Center for Advancement of Science in Space) for a chat about space, science and Star Wars amongst other things. During my tenure at NASA, if I ever had a question relating to science payloads, Liz Warren was my go-to person. It was rare that I would walk away from a conversation with Liz and not had learned something new. Her enthusiasm about science and space exploration is infectious and generates a positive energy within any team she is a part of.
From a very young age, Liz had the characteristics of a scientist. She was a curious kid who had a lot of questions. As she mentions in our interview, many say that kids are born scientists because of the endless amount of questions they ask. The majority of us grow out of that phase, but those destined to be scientists continue asking the questions.
Liz was also a big fan of all things space and Star Wars. Growing up in the 80’s, it was not very common to see girls interested in science, much less space. As a result, she felt a bit out of place, but that changed when she attended Space Camp. She discovered there were many kids, including girls, who loved space as much as she did.
While growing up and during her collegiate career, Liz delved into music as a drummer and later learned how to play guitar and ukulele. In our interview, she explains how music and the arts can be very mathematical. We discussed the importance of the arts and the push for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, maths) education in schools. You will be surprised to hear which technical and science professionals are musically inclined.
During her NASA career, Liz assisted the astronaut office and International Space Station program with training, experiment testing and public communications of science related topics amongst many other tasks. Now at CASIS, she assists entities in both the private and public sector in ushering payloads to the International Space Station. She keeps a very busy schedule traveling all over the United States educating interested parties on how they can use the ISS National Lab to further advance their research.
When asked who she would like to meet, she responded with two names. First, George Lucas to thank him for bringing the inspiration and excitement of space travel to the silver screen and keeping her motivated to reach for the stars. Second, Dr. Francis Collins, Director of National Institutes of Health, to ask him what is on the horizon of scientific discovery decades into the future.
As always, our conversation was entertaining and informative while covering many aspects of life and careers. Listen to the interview in its entirety at here or on ideaXme’s iTunes and YouTube pages. It will certainly not disappoint.
Special thanks to Liz for taking the time out of her busy schedule for this interview!
Information on topics and people discussed:
Dr. Liz Warren - LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-warren-ph-d-8b313b11/
Dr. Francis Collins - NIH Profile: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/biographical-sketch-francis-s-collins-md-phd
CASIS - Center for Advancement of Science in Space: https://www.iss-casis.org/
Space Camp: https://www.spacecamp.com/
Credit:
By Ana Guzman ideaXme Space Ambassador.
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Ana comes to ideaXme with nine years experience working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center serving different roles in their communications and multimedia teams. As part of the ideaXme team, she wishes to continue working in outreach and educating the public in different topics regarding all things space.
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