If we want a thriving future scientific community, we first need to understand why people choose — or don’t choose — careers in STEM.

This week on Whimsical Wavelengths, we turn the telescope around and look not at stars, but at the people who choose to study them. What shapes a scientist’s identity? Why do some students pursue STEM — and astronomy in particular — while others drift away? And how do mentorship, representation, and community determine who sees themselves as “belonging” in science?

To explore these questions, I’m joined by Dr. Zachary Richards: a researcher whose path moved from physics into science education, now a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History and a faculty member at York College, City University of New York. His recent work examines how scientists form professional identity, how students imagine themselves in scientific roles, and how educational environments influence those choices.

In this episode, we discuss:

• how early experiences shape STEM career decisions
• the role of mentorship and representation in building scientific identity
• why astronomy offers a unique lens for studying belonging in STEM
• parallels between challenges in astronomy and fields like geoscience, where enrollment and workforce sustainability are pressing issues
• what institutions can do to attract and support the next generation of scientists

Whether you’re a scientist, an educator, or simply curious about how people end up devoting their lives to understanding the universe, this episode offers a thoughtful look at the human side of STEM.

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In this episode of Whimsical Wavelengths, we explore how machine learning is opening new possibilities in geophysical imaging and inversion workflows. Like image segmentation! We look at how modern computational tools can help interpret what we cannot observe directly beneath the surface.

Our guest, Johnathan Kutti, joins us to break down how machine learning approaches can assist with geophysical inversion, improve subsurface models, and support decision-making in exploration and environmental studies. With experience both in the field and in building mathematical tools, he brings a grounded perspective on how these methods work in practice.

We start by outlining what geophysics actually is—using physics to study the Earth’s structure and processes—and why inversion methods are so central to the field. Because we cannot directly measure physical properties everywhere inside the Earth, geophysical inversion works backward from measurable data such as magnetics, gravity, or electromagnetic responses to estimate what the subsurface must look like.

The conversation then moves into:

• Why geophysical inversions have infinite possible solutions
• How physical assumptions and constraints narrow those solutions
• Where machine learning and image segmentation can help
• Examples of integrating AI into geoscience workflows
• Practical realities from years spent collecting data across remote terrain

If you've ever wondered how AI and scientific modeling intersect—or how we “illuminate the void” geophysically—this episode offers both clarity and depth.

UBC Geophysical Inversion Facility: https://gif.eos.ubc.ca/

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We’re heading back through deep time on Whimsical Wavelengths — but this time, we’re not walking with dinosaurs, we’re flying with them! Flight has evolved at least four separate times in Earth’s history, and today’s episode focuses on one of the earliest masters of the skies: pterosaurs.

Host Jeffrey Zurek is joined by Dr. Adele Pentland, palaeontologist and lead author of the paper describing Haliskia peterseni, a newly discovered anhanguerian pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Australia. The research, published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, sheds new light on prehistoric ecosystems and the diversity of Australia’s flying reptiles.

Adele discusses the discovery process, what makes Haliskia special, and how Australia fits into the global pterosaur record. We also touch on the art of science communication — from museum exhibits to fossil-inspired stamps and children’s books.

Links from the episode:

Research Paper: Haliskia peterseni in Scientific Reports

Adele Pentland’s Website

Book Mentioned Nature People by Cesar Puechmarin

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