![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/victoria-hartwick.jpg?w=276\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nYou probably know from reading these that we like to start with your early years, where you were born, something about your family, if you have siblings, your parents and what they did, and mixed in with that, how early was it in your life that you developed an interest in what you\u2019ve pursued academically and now in your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s see. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, but I grew up in Wisconsin. I left Chicago at, I think, six months old. My parents: my dad is a radiologist and the reason we were in Chicago was for his residency. My mom has a degree in English literature and teaching. I have two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother, so I\u2019m smack in the middle.<\/p>\n And you know, I can\u2019t even remember when I first started getting interested in science, and in particular in astronomy and planetary science. It\u2019s just something I was always really interested in. I have this vague memory of like third grade and having to do a report on a planet and instead of doing just one, I did all of them! (laughs)\u00a0 So that was probably a hint to my parents, that it was something that captured my imagination. I was just really lucky that I had parents who were excited to encourage me to pursue science and not a more practical career path. They just let me explore all the things I was interested in.<\/p>\n You\u2019re reminding me of one of our earlier interviews, where the young researcher said she was interested in meteorology, especially clouds. She remembers \u00a0going on Sunday drives out in the Midwest and she would sit in the car looking up at the clouds and she got very interested in them. And then at some point she realized, oh my goodness, there are clouds on other planets! Isn\u2019t that interesting? So she went down that path and became a scientist, researching planetary atmospheres. It\u2019s interesting what triggers an interest, which is why parents expose children to all kinds of things, music, art, nature, and science. You never know what\u2019s going to click with them.<\/strong><\/p>\n That is something my dad, with sort of a science mind, still talks to me about, like, \u201cHow do you apply radiology imaging to imaging done outside of our planet?\u201d And my mom is very much into the arts. She took me to all the plays and had me play violin and participate in forensics and community theater, all of that. So I had a nice balance of different things.<\/p>\n You did and you\u2019re very fortunate. \u00a0As you grew up and got into school, there was a basic curriculum early on, but then there were times when you had to make some choices in terms of majors, courses of study, and so forth. Could you talk a little bit about that?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sure. I had sort of a winding path, I think, to my major and ultimately to my PhD. I knew I was interested in science, but I didn\u2019t know really where I was interested. So in undergraduate I was deciding between a neuroscience degree or a physics and astronomy degree. I toyed with linguistics because I\u2019ve always loved languages and I thought, hey, that\u2019s the \u201csciency\u201d side of language. Ultimately, I got my undergraduate degree in astronomy and microbiology. I think I realized that I really was interested in planetary habitability, but I didn\u2019t know what particular side of that, whether I was more interested in the broad, galactic point of view or the really narrow extremophile point of view. So I had these two scales of science that I was looking at. And it really took until grad school to kind of narrow in on what part I was most interested in. But it gave me some cool opportunities in undergrad to do a lot of different research. I was working in a leaf cutter ant lab and also doing extra galactic astronomy research, so I got to toy around a bit and see what was most interesting.<\/p>\n Science is a very broad category and it gives you, especially in space science, lots of options everywhere you go. And then at some point you wound up at the University of Colorado, Boulder, for your PhD?<\/strong> OK. And then you found your way to NASA Ames. Can you tell us how that happened? Was it just the posting of a postdoctoral opportunity or did you have a connection from someone here?<\/strong><\/p>\n I had a connection. I was lucky enough to participate in some panels as a graduate student, and at conferences I started communicating and talking with Bob Haberle and Melinda Kahre here at Ames. And as I approached the end of my PhD, I started talking to them about opportunities and they pointed me to the NPP program. So I applied to work with Bob Haberle to kind of extend the Mars Climate Modeling Center\u2019s work looking at exoplanets, Mars-like exoplanets.<\/p>\n Sounds like a perfect fit.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, it\u2019s been fun to take what I learned about Mars, and this is again, kind of an extrapolation from smaller scale. We had really fine, really detailed experiments to look at present day Mars because we knew a lot about it. And I got to kind of broaden it, to say \u201cWell, what if we were in this completely different environment? How can we apply what we learn from what\u2019s happening on Mars today to a different environment, a different solar system, a different planetary type?\u201d<\/p>\n Right. So maybe this is a good time to have you talk a little bit about the work that you do, including why it\u2019s important enough that NASA is willing to ask the American taxpayer to subsidize it. Why would they be willing to support the kind of work that you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think that\u2019s a really good question and it\u2019s something I think about because as an employee of NASA, through the Bay Area Environmental Research program, it\u2019s my obligation as a scientist to contribute to the American people. And I want our research to be valuable to them and have, if not direct applications to their day-to-day life, still something that brings a greater sense of how our universe works and a greater sense of wonder about the world we live in.<\/p>\n I work on both Mars, present day Mars and Paleo Mars, and exoplanets. I think those two have very different applications. When we think about exoplanets, it\u2019s really about learning more about how our universe works and where we fit in to the broader universe. So those fundamental questions: Are we alone? What does it mean to have life develop? What are the fundamental requirements for life to develop? That\u2019s really what I\u2019m looking at with these exoplanets to see what kind of environments might we expect, how do we identify those environments and could they be habitable? For present day Mars, it\u2019s a little bit closer to home in the sense that it\u2019s our next door neighbor, but it also has a little bit more direct application. it\u2019s interesting just to know how a planet works, but also a lot of the work we do with our climate models is to support mission development and mission work. So EDL (Entry, Descent, Landing) can rely on some of our results. I recently did a really fun project looking at the feasibility of wind energy for human missions to Mars to see if that could be something that would aid in energy stability.<\/p>\n I listened to your Abscicon talk about that, and it was fascinating to me. I hadn\u2019t realized that there might be a way to augment energy availability on a planet so that exploration could be better developed and supported, with more opportunities to go to more places. And that\u2019s very interesting because, as we\u2019ve seen the movies, there\u2019s wind on Mars! (laughs)<\/strong><\/p>\n Exactly. There\u2019s wind, but it\u2019s very easy to dismiss it since the atmosphere is so thin and the winds aren\u2019t that strong. But the technology that we develop on Earth has gotten better and better. There\u2019s opportunity to apply what we\u2019ve learned on Earth to other planets.<\/p>\n So would the general value be considered in support of NASA\u2019s strategic mission for exploration? Or is it more specific than that? Does it tie into the search for life?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, I think that\u2019s fair to say. I mean, one of the goals of the current administration is to explore the potential for habitability and life and a lot of my exoplanet work fits directly into that goal and helps prioritize future mission development in order to evaluate that potential? But then one of my favorite things about astronomy is still just the sense of wonder you can get from recognizing how much there is in the universe and how different things can be and how almost anything you can think of is out there. In some respects I feel like my research can contribute to that excitement for all ages, especially for kids coming into STEM or interested in it in the future.<\/p>\n Has there been, in your so far relatively short career, some unusual or interesting finding, such as the wind idea, that\u2019s cool? Anything like that that you want to talk about?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, for sure. There\u2019s been a couple, actually. \u00a0My PhD is in atmospheric and oceanic sciences, so I was in a group that was very focused on Earth science and on really small scale evaluations of the Earth\u2019s climate. And one of the most valuable experiences I got out of that was learning how to bridge the gap between Earth science and planetary science and take the things we learn from Earth and think about how they could be applicable to a different planetary environment. And two of my papers are directly related to that. The wind energy came from, the inspiration for that arose from a colleague\u2019s presentation on wind evaluation for earth using a global climate model.\u00a0 And my paper on cloud formation seeded on micrometeoritic dust was inspired by polar noctilucent clouds on Earth. It\u2019s a type of cloud that we see today in the northern hemisphere summer pole that form on these, just basically on the debris of meteors burning up in the atmosphere. And we thought, \u201cHey, Mars is going through that same sort of cloud of interplanetary debris, and maybe that could be responsible for some of the clouds that we\u2019ve observed but are really difficult to replicate in models\u201d.<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to ask what a typical day is like for you. We\u2019ve had to qualify that because of the pandemic that\u2019s ongoing but It looks like you\u2019re back in the office now?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, I\u2019m in the office today.<\/p>\n Have you able to do your work pretty much remotely without much problem? Do you have to be here to work in a lab or something like that.<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m lucky that as a climate modeler, most of my work is computer work, so I just have to remotely log into the NASA supercomputer and that gives me the opportunity to work pretty easily from most locations. But it has been nice to get back into the office and be able to have conversations with colleagues that really spark inspiration and ideas and excitement.<\/p>\n That\u2019s something that a number of researchers have mentioned that they miss more than anything. There\u2019s a lot of convenience associated with working from home, especially if you have a commute or childcare obligations, something like that.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes.<\/p>\n But you do miss the interactions, the collaborations, and the fellowship of your science colleagues. It\u2019s astounding to me that there are some new hires in the last few years who have never been on the Ames campus yet. That\u2019s both amazing and sad. \u00a0Moving on, what do you enjoy most and least about your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, that\u2019s a hard one. I think what I enjoy most is related to what we were just saying, the sense of excitement and exploration when you\u2019re really brainstorming new ideas with colleagues and seeing what everybody else is doing. I love going to scientific conferences and seeing all of the amazing work that people have been up to and having an opportunity to have these off the cuff conversations about how their work can relate to my work and vice versa. I think as in any job there\u2019s always the mundanity of everyday tasks that can be tiring. As a global climate modeler, I have to deal with debugging code and that can be terrible.<\/p>\n I imagine it can.<\/strong><\/p>\n Many a month in my graduate studies was spent trying to figure out what the hell was going on in this giant code. You learn a lot. That\u2019s probably a low point, but is followed by the high point when you finally figure it out.<\/p>\n I can certainly relate to that, however you\u2019re one of the few who hasn\u2019t mentioned the bureaucratic paperwork that you have to do all the time and that\u2019s probably. . .<\/strong><\/p>\n I think I try not to think about it! (laughs).<\/p>\n . . .\u00a0 probably because it goes without saying. But it\u2019s obvious from your enthusiasm and just your whole demeanor that you\u2019re happy with where you\u2019ve landed, career wise. You\u2019re excited about the things you\u2019re doing and everything. But have you ever thought about, if you weren\u2019t a research scientist for NASA, what your dream job might have been?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have thought about that actually. I said I had a lot of indecision early in my career about what I wanted to do, I think if I wasn\u2019t in planetary science, I would be in linguistics because I love languages and that\u2019s one of the things I still miss because I would take all the language classes I could. So I always imagined I could have worked as a translator for the UN or something.<\/p>\n That\u2019s interesting, and perhaps comes from your mom\u2019s side of the family.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes! And then of course, I have a friend and we always said one day we would open a tea shop in a college town. So we\u2019ll see if that ever comes to pass!\u00a0 (laughs)<\/p>\n I always thought that foreign languages were intimidating and then I wound up having to learn one and I realized that it\u2019s only a matter of memorization. You just memorize more words for things. You already have huge vocabulary built up over the years from a little child, and if you just learn more words for things, it doesn\u2019t seem as daunting, at least to me.<\/strong><\/p>\n What I\u2019ve always liked about languages is that they make you think in slightly different ways because of the organization of the grammar and how you communicate. It\u2019s different enough that it changes your perspective and in some sense I think coding is like that. It\u2019s a very logical foreign language.<\/p>\n Yes, coding is analogous to a language. it is a language. How many languages have you picked up over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, a couple. I mean, I\u2019m only really good at maybe one or two besides English. I can speak reasonable French, I can get by. \u00a0And if I practiced, my Spanish isn\u2019t too bad. I\u2019ve taken courses in Russian and Italian. I took a class in a language called Nahuatl, which is the Aztec language. And I took old English, which was very hard. I think that was the hardest one I\u2019ve done. And I\u2019ve toyed with trying to learn Swedish, that\u2019s sort of on my bucket list of ones to learn.<\/p>\n Have you taken any of the root languages, the fundamental languages like Latin or anything of that type?<\/strong><\/p>\n You know, I haven\u2019t. The closest was old English. But I haven\u2019t gotten around to Latin.<\/p>\n I took Latin in high school and I\u2019m not sure why, but I\u2019m glad I did because it exemplifies the things you\u2019ve talked about, the value of better understanding your own language.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yep.<\/p>\n How other languages relate to each other and how words get to mean certain things<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Latin is always very interesting. From that you can see how words come together and the syntactical history of the word, and that\u2019s great. But when I was first learning, I just wanted to talk to people, and there\u2019s not much of an opportunity for that with Latin.<\/p>\n I\u2019m tempted to interject a thought about the biblical story of the Tower of Babel because if there was going to be a way to interrupt what the people were trying to do, it would be hard to beat causing language confusion so they couldn\u2019t understand each other, couldn\u2019t communicate any more. It was a very effective means of disrupting their work.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah.<\/p>\n So you\u2019re on your way. Obviously you\u2019re in the middle of a very successful and productive career. What advice would you give to a young up and coming PhD student, for example, or someone who would like to have a career like you are having now?<\/strong><\/p>\n One thing is to follow your passions. Find the thing that you\u2019re interested in and, don\u2019t let somebody tell you it\u2019s not practical or that you should be doing something differently. And also, and this is, I think, more important, is allow something to be difficult. Just because something is hard doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t do it. I always say I was naturally better at linguistics than astronomy. Physics is hard for me. It took a lot of work for me to really dig into it and understand it. I remember looking at people around me and they just seemed to get it immediately. I thought, maybe I\u2019m not cut out for this field. Maybe I don\u2019t have the innate talent to do it, but I think struggling and really thinking through something, can give you an interesting perspective on it, and a really strong base to build your science on. So the struggle is important and it\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n That\u2019s quite profound, actually. I remember talking with a guidance counselor who had been asked by someone who wanted to pursue a medical degree but was intimidated by the fact that it would take all those extra years, postgraduate years and then an internship, \u00a05 or 6 \u00a0years before they can actually become a practicing physician. The counselor\u2019s question back to that person was: \u201cYes, but that time is still going to pass. You\u2019re still going to be somewhere at that point. You\u2019re not sacrificing those years. You\u2019re just choosing your destination\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah.<\/p>\n And that just told me: \u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t look at it as something that takes too long because you\u2019re going to live those years anyway. It\u2019s just a matter of where are you will be at the end of those years.<\/strong><\/p>\n I like that perspective. I\u2019ll remember that when I\u2019m struggling through the work now! (laughs)<\/p>\n Would you like to share anything about your personal life, your family, kids, pets, trips, hobbies, things you like to do?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have been married six years now and we have a 1-1\/2 year old, which has been new and exciting. He\u2019s a handful and a lot of fun. And we have a great and very energetic Husky mix and she keeps our pet life interesting.<\/p>\n For sure!<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah. So that\u2019s our little family.<\/p>\n Talents? Are you musical? What do you like to do?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve played violin for, I don\u2019t want to betray my age, something like 30 years now. (laughs) So that is something I still enjoy. And as a family, we like going hiking.<\/p>\n I like that, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n Back in 2020 I took up ice skating because you know, why not? I always wanted to learn how to figure skate, so my husband got me lessons for Christmas and when I have free time, I try to do that still.<\/p>\n That\u2019s wonderful. Our daughter was interested in ice skating for a while, and that was back when there were ice skating rinks in the area. There was one in Sunnyvale and one in Palo Alto, I think it was called Winter Lodge, and it is still there on Middlefield Road.<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s one still down in San Jose, so I try to go to that one. It\u2019s like the Sharks training facility, I think.<\/p>\n There used to be one in the bottom level of Vallco shopping center in Cupertino,\u00a0 but it went away. The whole shopping center went away!<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m not very good at all, but it\u2019s amazing the joy you get out of something like figuring out how to skate backwards. (laughs)<\/p>\n Well, the one thing it\u2019ll make you do is appreciate when you watch Olympic level figure skaters and the things that they do on the ice. When I go around my ankles are tilted inward. I can\u2019t even stand up straight on them! (laughs)<\/strong><\/p>\n Exactly!<\/p>\n So any other sports that you might have done along the way or were interested in?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, I did a bunch of rock climbing as an undergraduate but haven\u2019t had much opportunity to do it out here. I\u2019ve skied my whole life. But since my son was born my free time has been severely limited.<\/p>\n You can be forgiven for that! But a picture was posted on one of your websites of you climbing some rocks that looked like steps.<\/strong><\/p>\n That was Iceland.<\/p>\n Oh yes, you did say it was Iceland.\u00a0 That was fascinating. And then you were laying in the crook of a kind of an arch and I was trying to guess what the drop off was on the side that I couldn\u2019t see, because I don\u2019t care for heights too much. Where was that?<\/strong><\/p>\n That was Arches National Park out in Utah and the other side, I think, was more perilous than I probably would do today, but for some reason I like really high heights. I find it very relaxing in a terrifying way! (laughs)<\/p>\n Yeah, it\u2019s terrifying, I would agree with that. So maybe we\u2019ve sort of covered the basics, but once we talk about your work and your life, we like to ask \u201cwhat do you do for fun?\u201d \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s changed a lot since having kids, but in a good way. I think having a kid makes you slow down and appreciate things that you wouldn\u2019t have recognized or paid attention to otherwise. Now I get a lot of joy out of looking at the rocks on the sidewalk and at the plants that are growing, the squirrel running down the street. Things that I would usually overlook, but to be honest, that\u2019s a lot of my life right now. Very slow walks led by an 18 month old!<\/p>\n That\u2019s a great perspective because yes, when you walk with a child, all of a sudden you realize they\u2019ve stopped and notice what has caught their attention. it\u2019s usually a bug, or a little rock, or something that that we totally missed. And those things can be just as fascinating as the planet Mars.<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t think the he enjoys it when I try to explain Mars geology to him at his age. (laughs)<\/p>\n But the time will come.\u00a0 One of the things we ask about is what accomplishment are you the most proud of that\u2019s not related to your NASA work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, that\u2019s a hard one! I am proud, and this is maybe a cop out easy answer, but I\u2019m proud of just our family and being able to prioritize or balance the work, being focused on science but also having this family that I love so much, being able to participate with them. And then I think I\u2019ve had to be resilient a lot in my career. I\u2019ve had ups and downs and challenges and have needed to keep focused. It\u2019s kind of like what I said before: that just because something is hard doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s not worth your time. If you\u2019re not immediately successful it can be really disappointing but it\u2019s not the end of the world. You can keep pushing through and keep working and can get somewhere, if not external success, then inside. And I think that has been something I\u2019ve really learned, particularly as somebody who was a perfectionist growing up. Learning that failures are part of life and challenges are worthwhile.<\/p>\n Since you play the violin are you particularly drawn to classical music, or are there other musical genres that are of equal or greater interest?<\/strong><\/p>\n I love all of it. I\u2019ve listened to a lot of classical. Beethoven is my favorite, even though he\u2019s a lot of people\u2019s favorite. I lived in Paris for six months and I would go to the Louvre statue garden and just listen to an entire Beethoven Symphony. It was just my favorite thing to do. But I also really like bluegrass music. I like folk and acoustic. My husband is really into hard rock, so I\u2019ve been learning how to appreciate that. We have a very musical household.<\/p>\n You have a well-rounded family musically, that\u2019s for sure. And how about your reading interest? What book might we find on your night stand or in your office library?<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s a great question. I read a lot of fiction and recently I\u2019ve been getting into the genre that people call \u201ccozy mysteries\u201d. I\u2019ve been reading Maisie Dobbs, which is sort of low stakes detective mysteries, not too scary, but just enough to give you a bit of a mystery to follow through on and explore.<\/p>\n That\u2019s exploration in its own way, isn\u2019t it? Who or what has inspired you, or does inspire you, as you move through life?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been lucky that there\u2019s a lot of people in my life who are inspirational. Just colleagues, you know, seeing the path and the career that they\u2019ve taken and the work that they do every day and the way that they approach scientific thought, I was always very inspired by how Bob Haberle could think through problems and how he could speak to the problems that he was working through so eloquently. I\u2019ve always been inspired by both of my parents and their approach to the world and now to their approach to parenting, as I try to learn my way through that. I\u2019ve also been very fortunate that I found a partner who has a unique perspective on the world that\u2019s different than mine, so I can learn from him and be inspired by how he approaches the world and its challenges. It\u2019s not hard to find people to look to and say, \u201cWow, I need to learn something from them because they\u2019re doing something right.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019re right and the fact is, at least the way I look at it, everybody is my superior in some way that I can learn from.<\/strong><\/p>\n I think that\u2019s a really great perspective to have.<\/p>\n I mentioned earlier that we\u2019d like to include images in the post that we finally put together for you and those may certainly include ones related to your work. They can also include, family things, anything that you\u2019ve talked about: your interests, maybe you playing a violin or taking a walk with your son, anything that tends to illustrate the things you\u2019ve talked about but is there a particularly favorite image that you would want to include? \u00a0I see a couple of pictures behind you on the wall of your office. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah. So you can see off to the corner, there\u2019s this series of like, travel posters, basically for different planets in our solar system.<\/p>\n Are those little children in front of a planet? Is that what I\u2019m seeing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, that\u2019s HAT-P-11 b\u00a0 (a Neptune like gas giant planet), so it\u2019s a hot Neptune. If you traveled there it would be quite bright and hot. (laughs)<\/p>\n So the meaning of the poster is exploration?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s meant to be exploration. It\u2019s meant to be, I guess sometime in our, in our maybe distant future where you might have a travel agent suggesting that you go on a voyage across the solar system and hit all the major planets. I have three in my house, I have a Mars, a solar system tour, and then one for Kepler 16. I\u2019ve always really liked them. And then from a more or less artistic side, I guess I always really like the Mars Express images from the ESA mission because I just think they\u2019re amazing. Every time I see them, I\u2019m like, how are these real photos? They\u2019re so amazing.<\/p>\n Well, feel free to include any of those that are meaningful to you because knowing what you\u2019re interested in and your perspective on things helps us better understand you and that is the point. So include those as well as any others that you\u2019d like. I always think the more pictures the better. They draw attention and \u00a0help us understanding you better.<\/strong><\/p>\n And also if there is a favorite quote that you\u2019d like to have included you can share it now or you could add it later when you edit the transcript.<\/strong><\/p>\n No, I can think of two off the top and they relate to two different kinds of perspectives on life. One is kind of related to the challenges we\u2019ve talked about and I don\u2019t even know who said it. it\u2019s that \u201cThere are only two possible outcomes for any endeavor: success or learning\u201d.<\/p>\n Oh, I like that.<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, and that was very comforting to me for a lot of my graduate work and even now.<\/p>\n What a great perspective, because at the very end you\u2019re expecting the word \u201cfailure\u201d, but you\u2019re not getting that. You\u2019re getting another positive, two positives. And I like that.<\/strong><\/p>\n And the other one is from a very interesting documentary about Antarctica by Werner Herzog, He showed that at McMurdo Station there is a wooden fence, and carved into it by someone is the quote: \u201cI Sink into Bliss\u201d. And I don\u2019t know, it resonated with me as a reminder to sort of be \u201cin the moment\u201d, recognize the joys of the present moment, and really appreciate the good things going on around you.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a great thought! Mark, did you want to say something?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, regarding your comment on the your toddler noticing things like bugs. Does it expand your view on sciences when your kids ask you questions about the bugs and the rocks they find?<\/strong><\/p>\n Theo\u2019s not quite verbal yet, but I can see that in the future. As you look at what\u2019s going on in the world it can make you see these small details and start questioning your perspective or how you looked at it prior and you start seeing things. \u00a0Like when we were on a hike and he was digging in the sand and the top layer was wet, and the bottom layer was dry, and I started thinking about Mars regolith, and the RSL\u2019s and how that could contribute to dust lifting. So, you know, it\u2019s always on. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll annoy my kids in the future, like \u201cPlease stop, Mom! (laughs) At least I like to think so.<\/p>\n Well, he is going to be as fortunate growing up with you and your husband as you have been with your parents. A child\u2019s curiosity and imagination are delightful to behold. <\/strong>Is there anything that you wish we had asked that we didn\u2019t<\/strong>?<\/p>\n No, I think you really covered the broad range of it. I guess since this is a public facing website too, I would just encourage anybody who is interested, that this is a possibility. Just because it\u2019s not your typical career path doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t go for it, if you\u2019re interested in it.\u00a0 See where it lands you and pursue it. I like to see especially kids, you know, growing up in middle school and high school and I think they don\u2019t always recognize that this is an option. It\u2019s something you can do in your career and so realize that there are a lot of options out there.<\/p>\n Thank you for taking the time to sit for this brief interview. I think it will be a great addition to our series.<\/strong><\/p>\n OK. That\u2019s awesome. Thank you for reaching out to me.<\/p>\n *************************************<\/p>\n (Interview conducted by Fred Van Wert and Mark Vorobets)<\/p>\n Credits:<\/p>\n https:\/\/victoriahartwick.wixsite.com\/research<\/a><\/p>\n Michael C. Wong (photocredit)<\/p>\n automaticblogging.com<\/a> (photocredit)<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/pictures\/mars-express-10-years-of-capturing-the-red-planet-in-full-color-pict<\/a><\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a> April 11,2023 You probably know from reading these that we like to start with your early years, where you were born, something about your family, if you have siblings, your parents and what they did, and mixed in with that, how early was it in your life that you developed an interest in what you\u2019ve [\u2026] Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/victoria-hartwick-run.png?w=364\")
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Yes.<\/p>\n![\"Victoria](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/victoria-hartwick-nature.png?w=334\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Victoria](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/victoria-hartwick-nature2.png?w=354\")
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/poster2.jpg?w=467\")
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<\/figure>![\"Victoria](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/victoria-hartwick-family.jpg?w=550\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Victoria](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/victoria-hartwick-family2.jpg?w=356\")
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\nCiara C. Fitzpatrick <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"