Magnets are everywhere in our lives, from holding holiday souvenirs on our fridges to helping improve rail line systems and transportation. But did you know that magnets, or more specifically the study of magnetic properties, magnetism, can tell us a lot about the history of a planetary body? Well if you did not, after this episode, you will learn a new meaning of the phrase "magnets are cool!".

In today's episode, I speak with Dr. Beck Strauss (they/them/theirs) who is a research scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on detail to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where their work focuses on the development of techniques and instrumentation for experimental analyses of geological material during spaceflight. As a planetary geophysicist, Dr. Strauss studies how rocks and minerals from the Moon and other planets record changing magnetic fields over billions of years. When not elbows-deep in a magnetometer, they can also be found advocating for gender inclusive methods in studies of the space science workforce.

If you would like to learn more about Beck’s work on geomagnetism and gender inclusivity and equity, you can check out their website bestrauss.com, and you can follow them on Twitter at @BeckEStrauss.

If you would like to learn more about the show you can email us at thediariesofspaceexplorers@gmail.com.

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Host and creator: Gavin Tolometti

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