Space Science Communication for All: Meet Willow Reed, Senior Science Communications Specialist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Willow Reed is a Senior Science Communications Specialist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder. This means she gets to share the innovative work and discoveries the lab is doing daily. In this role, Willow is the communications lead for NASA's MAVEN mission - an orbiter studying the upper atmosphere of Mars. She is responsible for writing NASA web releases on the mission, running social media, and more. You can meet leaders from LASP at GlobalMindED June 17-19 in Denver.

Another hat Willow wears is being the lead coordinator for the Boulder Solar Alliance Research Experience for Undergraduates (BSA REU) program. This program is a paid summer research experience for highly motivated students interested in solar and space physics. Students participating in the BSA REU come to Boulder, Colorado for 10 weeks to work on a research project with a mentor. The topic areas span the field of solar and space physics, from instrument hardware to data analysis to modeling of the Sun, the Sun-Earth system, the near-Earth environment, or the heliosphere.

What is your personal/professional story?

After graduating with my Bachelor's in astrophysics I was on a path to attend graduate school to work towards a PhD in solar physics, but decided to take two gap years in between. During that time I did a research internship in Europe, worked at an ice cream shop, and then was hired to co-coordinate the Boulder Solar Alliance Research Experience for Undergraduates (BSA REU) program. This program gave me my start in research while I was in school at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder, so I was excited to join and lift the next generation of scientists. It was eye-opening working with undergraduates and showing them what options they had in professional research and beyond. At the end of that summer, I left to attend graduate school and I thought that was that. 

Fast forward two years, and I realized graduate school was becoming an unhealthy path for me. I made the difficult decision to leave and started looking for a job in science communication. During that time I was brought back on to co-coordinate the BSA REU program, this time virtually due to the pandemic. While doing that, I ended up applying for and accepting a job as a communications specialist at LASP, giving me my chance at professional science communication. A year later, I stepped into the role of lead coordinator for the BSA REU, and have enjoyed every second of it. 

What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?

I think one major turning point in my career was when I decided to leave graduate school. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made, and I spent months thinking it over. I knew it was right when as soon as I told my advisor I was leaving, I felt a huge sense of relief. Yes, I was scared and the future was full of unknowns, but I felt like I had taken the first step on a healthier journey. 

Where does your passion to serve come from?

Science outreach and communication has always been a large part of my identity as a scientist. Human beings at their core are curious, so they seek to understand things they do not know, which leads to amazing discoveries. However, more and more I hear people, especially from marginalized groups, say that they feel isolated from science, or not welcome in the field. How we communicate science has a large part to play in this misconception, and I would like to have a role in changing that narrative. This is especially true regarding astronomy and astrophysics, because of the complex jargon and perception surrounding this field. Everyone deserves to explore the cosmos in their own way, and I want to empower the BSA REU students and the public to do that through science communication and outreach.

How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?

The network that GlobalMindED has is truly one of a kind. With this network, I hope to reach talented students who may be interested in the Boulder Solar Alliance REU program. I also hope to inspire everyone to get involved with space science in some small way, even if it is just looking up at the night sky.