Julia Brodsky is a STEM education researcher at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, a former NASA astronaut instructor, independent school teacher, math education book author, educational consultant for gifted students and homeschooling mom of three. Her academic training is in astrophysics and science education.
As the founder of Art of Inquiry, an interactive online science program for curious pre-teens, Julia introduces students to space exploration, astrobiology and AI to build their scientific reasoning, systems thinking and questioning skills. She is also a co-founder of Earthlings Hub, a non-profit educational initiative helping refugee children in Ukraine.
In this episode, Ben and Julia discuss Julia's journey through space, from a childhood love of sci-fi, to studying astrophysics around the time of the discovery of the first exoplanet, to becoming an astronaut instructor and, more recently, helping children in Ukraine.
What you will hear in this episode
Julia's background in the space industry
Becoming an astronaut instructor
What is involved in guidance, navigation and control systems
The hardest part of astronaut training
The ISS and the importance of international cooperation
Mathematical Circles and the Art of Inquiry
The odd-one-out puzzle: butterfly, rocket, airplane or sailboat
The work of Earthlings Hub
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