#scipod

How does one go from combatting the bird flu epidemic to a nationally-elected official in Italy to the subject of a (debunked) criminal case about illegally trafficked viruses? We chatted with virologist Ilaria Capua about her research, political career, controversies, and more and our latest Third Pod from the Sun podcast episode. 

“I mean the field work for me is by far the passion and just euphoria that I have when I'm in the field. It's like nothing I've ever experienced literally, and I've given birth to four children.”

“Mostly I've learned how important it is for those people to have some kind of pay equity to their largely male peers. I'm really focused and part of my work at Georgia Tech to try to insure women, not just scientist, but women all over the campus are not just treated equitably, but supported in their life choices and encouraged to find a way to be fulfilled in their work and fee that they have the level of connection and access to their family whenever they need it.”

“The first thing that drives both of us is equity, that's the first thing. Are we making just decisions and just use of scientific information so that we're benefiting people of all stripes?”

“I think the public's really looking for humility in how we provide this information... Yeah, this information forward. If they feel like we're trying to sell something, then I think it makes our job a lot tougher.”

A pink water buffalo. A (kind of) rocket ship. A river crossing via backhoe. What does any of this have to do with water security?

Kathy Crane is a true adventurer. As one of the first women in the field of marine geophysics in the 1970s, she hypothesized and then helped discover the existence of hydrothermal vents on the Galápagos Rift along the East Pacific Rise in the mid-1970s and was one the first people to see many of the strange creatures that make their home in this improbable environment.

Check out our newest podcast episode here: http://tinyurl.com/yyt2mknw