I write feature stories for both internal and external audiences that highlight the missions, people, history, culture, and innovations of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These stories aim to make complex science and engineering accessible and engaging, while also capturing the human side of JPL—from groundbreaking space exploration to the everyday contributions of the people who make it possible. Through thoughtful storytelling, I help connect readers to the Lab’s work and the spirit behind it. Below are a few of my writing samples.
From Art to AI: The Duality of an Inspired Mind
Growing up, Bradley loved writing about the characteristics and creatures of the tundra’s permafrost, as well as drawing wildlife — a recurring theme throughout his childhood that underscored his fascination with both art and science.
While some might pick one career path or the other as an adult, Bradley made no compromises. Today, he is an Arctic scientist with a Ph.D. in Earth systems and geoinformation sciences, a degree he pursued after a five-year hiatus as a professional artist. Along his untraditional path, Bradley harnessed a range of creative tools — from acrylic paint to artificial intelligence — that helped him bring his ideas to life.
When Bradley Gay moved to California last year for a new job at JPL, his mom gave him several boxes from decades past. Inside one, he found a half-page essay from fourth grade about the tundra, accompanied by drawings he had sketched in third grade.
“The recurring trend was that I wanted to be an artist and a scientist when I grew up,” Bradley says. “I was in tears [looking through that box] because it’s kind of like everything was converging and working out.”
When Bradley Gay moved to California last year for a new job at JPL, his mom gave him several boxes from decades past. Inside one, he found a half-page essay from fourth grade about the tundra, accompanied by drawings he had sketched in third grade.
“The recurring trend was that I wanted to be an artist and a scientist when I grew up,” Bradley says. “I was in tears [looking through that box] because it’s kind of like everything was converging and working out.”
Bringing STEM from Pasadena to Paramaribo
As the deep green expanse of rainforest stretched for miles in every direction below his airplane window, JPL Software Architect Rishi Verma thought, “Where’s the runway? Where’s the city?"
After a three-flight trek from Los Angeles, Verma touched down in Suriname, a small, mostly rural country of less than a million people on the northeast coast of South America. He was there to discuss and advise on cutting-edge robotics, artificial intelligence, and data science — an unlikely suite of topics considering the country’s economy is primarily dominated by mining, oil, and agriculture.
But over three weeks as a visiting Fulbright Specialist while on vacation from JPL, Verma worked closely with students, teachers, and professionals eager to build a vibrant future in technology, science, and business for the next generation of STEM graduates.
After a three-flight trek from Los Angeles, Verma touched down in Suriname, a small, mostly rural country of less than a million people on the northeast coast of South America. He was there to discuss and advise on cutting-edge robotics, artificial intelligence, and data science — an unlikely suite of topics considering the country’s economy is primarily dominated by mining, oil, and agriculture.
But over three weeks as a visiting Fulbright Specialist while on vacation from JPL, Verma worked closely with students, teachers, and professionals eager to build a vibrant future in technology, science, and business for the next generation of STEM graduates.
The last six months, interns Loleth Robinson and Jonah Wang spent their days in the Electrochemistry Lab at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, testing, and analyzing novel power-storage cells that are pushing the frontiers of battery technology for space missions.
It’s the type of work that needs to be performed with one’s hands: chemicals mixed, cell casings assembled, wiring tinkered with, batteries cycled.
You can’t learn this in a classroom. At JPL, you can.
It’s the type of work that needs to be performed with one’s hands: chemicals mixed, cell casings assembled, wiring tinkered with, batteries cycled.
You can’t learn this in a classroom. At JPL, you can.