In this episode, I speak with Dr Anna Losiak, a planetary geologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Chief Science Officer for the European Rover Challenge. Anna started her career in planetary science when she moved to the United States to obtain her Master’s degree at Michigan State University, and later returned to Europe to obtain her PhD studying impact craters at the University of Vienna. Anna tells me about her journey travelling and studying in the United States, how planetary science research is conducted differently in North America and Europe, and what it means to respect the land where geologists conduct field work. One take away message I hope you all learn from Anna is how important it is to understand the archeological and cultural significance of field sites on Earth. Anna and I talk about the Kaali Crater in Estonia and the cultural connections it has with the local community. Near the end of the episode, Anna gets to tell me about her incredible work with the European Rover Challenge, the largest Mars analogue rover challenge in the world!

If you would like to learn more about Anna’s work on impact cratering and the European Rover Challenge, check out the European Rove Challenge website, or connect with Anna on LinkedIn.

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Host and creator: Gavin Tolometti

Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com