Outreach Efforts

Web articles

Consulting for entertainment industry

Some details are omitted to adhere to NDAs and/or protect intellectual property.

  • Advised screenwriter on a child prodigy story, 2019.
  • Advised writer and director on an exoplanet-related story, 2018.
  • Advised screenwriter on a space adventure story, 2018.
  • Advised producer on the space adventure story Ad Astra, 2018.
  • Advised researcher on CBS's Star Trek: Discovery, 2017-2018.
  • Advised consulting producer on Netflix show Brainchild, 2017.
  • Advised screenwriter on an impact-related story, 2017.
  • Advised screenwriter on an asteroid-related story, 2017.
  • Advised screenwriter on a SETI-related story, 2016.
  • Advised screenwriters on Netflix show Lost in Space, 2016.
  • Advised screenwriter on an impact-related story, 2015.
  • Advised screenwriter on an asteroid-related story, 2015.
  • Advised actor on a space-related story, 2015.
  • Advised screenwriter and producer on a planet-related story, 2015.

Public speaking and interviews

  • Presenter and panelist at Santa Monica Wildwood School, "Alien Night", May 13, 2023.
  • Talk at South Bay Astronomical Society, "The search for life in the universe", May 5, 2023.
  • Popular Science interview, "Alien civilizations could send us messages by 2029", Apr. 25, 2023.
  • Panelist for Citizen Science Month Celebration organized by CitizenScience.Gov, Apr. 25, 2023.
  • Bruin Space Speaker Series, "The UCLA Search for Radio Technosignatures", Apr. 13, 2023.
  • Keynote speaker at The Planetary Society Welcome Festival, Mar. 18, 2023.
  • Spectrum News 1 interview, "Are we alone in the universe?", Feb. 28, 2023.
  • UCLA SETI citizen science platform launch webinar, Feb. 16, 2023.
  • LAist interview, "Help Find Extraterrestrial Life. Really", Feb. 15, 2023.
  • Guest on The Planetary Society’s Planetary Radio Podcast, Feb. 15, 2023.
  • LA Times interview, "UCLA is asking for the public’s help in finding signs of ETI", Feb. 2023.
  • LA Times interview, "Are the recent UFOs possibly alien? Experts don't think so", Feb. 2023.
  • Launched citizen science collaboration http://arewealone.earth, Feb. 14, 2023.
  • Nature Magazine interview, "Will an AI be the first to discover alien life?", Jan. 30, 2023.
  • Scientific American interview, "New Space Radar", Jan. 16, 2023.
  • Talk promoting STEM to four- and five-year-olds, "The Solar System", Nov. 4, 2022.
  • American Public Media "Brains On" Podcast Interview, "The Moon", Sept. 19, 2022.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "Our Home in the Cosmos", Aug. 13, 2022.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "Earth and Planetary Geology", Aug 15, 2022.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "The Search for Life in the Universe", Aug. 16, 2022.
  • Quanta Magazine interview, "Secrets of the Moon’s Permanent Shadows", Apr. 28, 2022.
  • KNX radio interview, "A Beacon in the Galaxy", Apr. 19, 2022.
  • Guest on The Planetary Society’s Planetary Radio Podcast, Mar. 16, 2022.
  • NBC News interview, "Should Pluto be a planet again?", Dec. 30, 2021.
  • Digital Trends interview, "The next 10 years will be the decade of Venus", Sept. 11, 2021.
  • Talk promoting STEM to ten-year-olds, "Life in the Universe", Aug. 2, 2021.
  • The Conversation, "Are there any planets outside of our solar system?", Jul. 19, 2021.
  • Astronomy Mag. interview, "What echoing radio waves taught us about Venus", May 26, 2021.
  • The Elderllama Podcast interview, "Aliens, Astrophysics, and Asteroid Impacts", May 3, 2021.
  • South China Morning Post interview, "China should hunt asteroids with radar", Feb. 4, 2021.
  • Science Alert interview, "They All Came from Us", Nov. 19, 2020
  • Washington Post interview, "Astronomers spy asteroid that has its own moon", Feb. 13, 2020.
  • UCLA Exploring Your Universe talk, "Life in the Universe", Nov. 3, 2019.
  • UCLA Emeriti/Retiree Associations, "Consulting for the Entertainment Industry", Jun. 13, 2019.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations", Jul. 3, 2019.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "The Total Solar Eclipse of 2019", Jun. 30, 2019.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "The Search for Life in the Universe", Jun. 28, 2019.
  • UCLA Emeriti & Retirees, "Consulting for the Entertainment Industry", Jun. 13, 2019.
  • UCLA panel moderator, "Communicating Science Effectively in Today's World", May 21, 2019.
  • UCLA Alumni Association of Japan, "The Search for Life in the Universe", Mar. 25, 2019.
  • Melon Sci-Fi Conference, Hong Kong, "Aliens on the Galactic Silk Road", Mar. 23, 2019.
  • Talk at UCLA Alumni Association of Hong Kong, "Search for Life in the Universe", Mar. 21, 2019.
  • Talk at California State University, Northridge, Bianchi Planetarium, Mar. 1, 2018.
  • UCLA EPSS panel moderator, "Plate tectonics", Oct. 29, 2018.
  • Forbes.com interview, "Five Mercury Puzzles", Oct. 16, 2018.
  • Mount Wilson Observatory talk, "The search for life in the universe", Sept. 15, 2018.
  • L'Express interview, "La Lune, une amie qui vous veut du bien?", Sept. 10, 2018.
  • Viking Orion enrichment lecture, "The search for life in the universe", Jun. 17, 2018.
  • NYT interview, "Challenging What NASA Knows About Space Rocks", Jun. 14, 2018.
  • UCLA EPSS Panel moderator, "Magnetic Structures in the Solar System", Feb. 12, 2018.
  • Universe Today interview, "A search for technosignatures in the Kepler field", Feb. 9, 2018.
  • Talk at First Friday Ideas Salon, "Are we alone in the universe?", Jan. 5, 2018.
  • Forbes.com interview on the number of exoplanets, "Billions Of Exoplanets?", Dec. 31, 2017.
  • UCLA EPSS Panel moderator, "Cassini at Saturn", Oct. 26, 2017.
  • Talk at Bruin Alliance of Skeptics and Secularists, "Questionable Beliefs", Sept. 29, 2017.
  • KTHV Television interview, "Does a full moon really impact hospitals?", Sept. 5, 2017.
  • Talk in preparation of viewing the Great American Eclipse in Madras, OR, Aug. 21, 2017.
  • Westwood Village Rotary Club, "The Great American Eclipse of 2017", Aug. 10, 2017.
  • Reuters TV interview, "The Great American Eclipse of 2017", Aug. 9, 2017.
  • CBS 2/KCAL 9 TV interview, "The Great American Eclipse of 2017", Aug. 9, 2017.
  • BBC mundo interview, "NASA's Asteroid Deflection Mission", July 3, 2017.
  • Super News Live interview, "Life in Space", Jun. 27, 2017.
  • UCLA EPSS Panel moderator, "It Fell From The Sky!", May 9, 2017.
  • Talk at Harvard Club of Southern California, "Out of this World!", Apr. 30, 2017.
  • Talk at Bruin Alliance of Skeptics and Secularists, "Questionable Beliefs", Apr. 28, 2017.
  • Radio interview for Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "The Science Show", Apr. 1, 2017.
  • CNET interview, "Planet definition", Mar. 24, 2017.
  • Washington Post interview, "Planet definition", Mar. 20, 2017.
  • France Télévisions TV interview, "Supermoon", Nov. 14, 2016.
  • France Inter radio interview, "Supermoon", Nov. 11, 2016.
  • UCLA Exploring Your Universe talk, "Life in the Universe", Nov. 6, 2016.
  • Registered nurses of Alberta, "The full moon phenomenon: fact or fiction?", Oct. 27, 2016.
  • Wall Street Journal interview, "Full moon and hospital workers", Oct. 17, 2016.
  • BBC Mundo interview, "What is a Strawberry Moon?", Jun. 20, 2016.
  • Life Science/CBS News interview, "No, Mercury Retrograde Will Not Mess Up Your Life", May 6, 2016.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends at Boeing headquarters, "UCLA in Space", Mar. 29, 2016.
  • Lateral Magazine interview, "Wandering stars", Mar. 18, 2016.
  • Radio Canada interview, "La sombre histoire de Mercure", Mar. 13, 2016.
  • UCLA Undergraduate Astronomical Society, "How to define a planet", Feb. 24, 2016.
  • Retraction Watch interview, "Why publishing negative findings is hard", Feb. 17, 2016.
  • Today's Science interview, Infobase Learning, "Conversation with scientists", Feb. 17, 2016.
  • Today's Science interview, Infobase Learning, "How to define a planet", Feb. 10, 2016.
  • Talk at SpaceX headquarters, "UCLA in Space", Feb. 4, 2016.
  • BBC Sky at Night interview, "Planet Nine", Jan. 29, 2016.
  • KPCC radio interview, "Planet Nine: What should its name be if it's found?", Jan. 22, 2016.
  • Univision TV interview, "Questionable beliefs associated with the full moon", Nov. 21, 2015.
  • LA Times interview, "Why we need a new definition of the word 'planet'", Nov. 13, 2015.
  • New Scientist interview, "New definition of planethood", Nov. 11, 2015.
  • German Public Radio interview, "What makes a planet?", Nov. 11, 2015.
  • XPRIZE panel discussion with Virgin Galactic, Planetary Resources, NASA JPL, Nov. 6, 2015.
  • The Guardian interview, "Who you calling a dwarf?", July 15, 2015.
  • FiveThirtyEight interview, "Is The Moon To Blame?", Jun. 11, 2015.
  • Radio interview The Pulse/WHYY, "Births during a full moon?", aired on May 28, 2015.
  • Radio New Zealand interview, "Another Lunar Incident", aired on May 6, 2015.
  • BBC Mundo Interview, La luna llena "no tiene la culpa de nada", May 4, 2015.
  • Radio Canada interview, "Blame the Moon Study", aired on Mar. 31, 2015.
  • Huffington Post interview, "Why We Blame Strange Events On The Full Moon", Mar. 31, 2015.
  • Astronomía Online article, "¿Qué es lo que define a un planeta?", (w. R. Tohmé), Mar. 7, 2015.
  • M.S. Le Boréal lecture, "Our Home in the Cosmos", Feb. 6, 2015.
  • M.S. Le Boréal lecture, "Life in the Universe", Jan. 31, 2015.
  • NHK documentary, "Cosmic Front: Mystery of Mercury", Dec. 25, 2014.
  • Science and Entertainement Exchange, "Disruption: Asteroid Impacts", Google, Nov. 11, 2014.
  • Salon Français de Los Angeles, "Life in the Universe", Apr. 15, 2014.
  • Bilingual talk at Alliance Française de Los Angeles, "Life in the Universe", Mar. 6, 2014.
  • Interview of NASA Administrator, "A conversation with Charles Bolden", Jan. 22, 2014.
  • UCLA Exploring Your Universe talk, "Life in the Universe", Nov. 17, 2013.
  • CNN interview, "What's behind the science of `Gravity'?", Sep. 28, 2013.
  • Stargazing with UCLA alumni and friends, July 4, 2013.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "Origin and Evolution of Life in the Universe", July 4, 2013.
  • Stargazing with UCLA alumni and friends, Jun. 29, 2013.
  • Talk to UCLA alumni and friends, "The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations", Jun. 26, 2013.
  • Xinhua News Agency, "Shenzhou 10 spacecraft docks with Tiangong 1", Jun. 13, 2013.
  • Forbes.com interview on close approach of asteroid 1998 QE2, May 31, 2013.
  • Research seminar for Clare Boothe Luce Scholars, "Life in the Universe", May 6, 2013.
  • UCLA-JPL outreach event, "Asteroid Radar Astronomy", Apr. 24, 2013.
  • "Galilean Satellites" talk then stargazing, New Roads School, Santa Monica, Mar 1, 2013.
  • New Scientist interview, "Dinosaur-killing space rock was a terrible twosome", Feb. 9, 2013.
  • Mindshare LA - UCLA, "Origin and Distribution of Life in the Universe", Nov. 15, 2012.
  • AP interview, "Saturn moon Titan may harbor ocean below surface", Jun. 28, 2012.
  • Venus transit viewing on projection telescope, Palisades Park, Santa Monica, Jun. 5, 2012.
  • Tarzana Medical Center, "Exploration of Mercury, Venus, Europa", May 30, 2012.
  • UCLA alumni association of Japan, "Exploration of Mercury, Venus, Europa", May 22, 2012.
  • Space.com interview, "Did US Radar Destroy Mars Probe?", Jan. 17, 2012.
  • Radio Canada interview, "Mercure se dévoile à la sonde MESSENGER", aired Jun. 19, 2011.
  • Talk to UCLA Physical Sciences Board, "Planets and Exoplanets", May 14, 2011.
  • Radio Canada interview, "La planète Mercure", aired on Mar. 27, 2011.
  • Science talk with DC-area UCLA alumni, "Mercury & MESSENGER", Mar. 21, 2011.
  • AP interview, "Planet Mercury visible before NASA craft orbits it", Mar. 11, 2011.
  • Daily Bruin interview, "Diagram measures planetary colors", Nov. 17, 2010.
  • Daily Bruin interview, "Jupiter's belt mysteriously disappears", May 25, 2010.
  • Current Science magazine interview, Mar. 2010.
  • New Scientist interview, "Are Venus and Earth in a long-distance relationship? ", Mar. 16, 2010.
  • Special Public Session at AAS meeting, "Planetary Taxonomy", Jun. 9, 2009.
  • Steven J. Ostro symposium, "Binary Asteroids in the Near-Earth Population", Jun. 4, 2009.
  • Cornell Club of France, "Frontiers of Solar System Exploration", May 22, 2008.
  • Radio Canada interview, "Nouvelles fraîches de Mercure", aired on Feb. 3, 2008.
  • Astronomie Magazine interview, "Un messager pour Mercure", Jan. 2008.
  • Science World magazine interview, "Squishy Center", Sep. 2007.
  • La Recherche magazine interview, "Mercure, au coeur fluide", July-Aug. 2007.
  • Cornell Reunion 2007, "What makes a planet?", Jun. 9, 2007.
  • National Geographic News interview, "Liquid Mercury", May 3, 2007.
  • Astronomy magazine podcast, "Mercury's core", May 3, 2007.
  • Museum of Science and Technology, Syracuse, NY, "What makes a planet?", Apr. 5, 2007.
  • NYT interview, "Prediction Proved: Light Speeds Up an Asteroid as it Spins", Mar. 13, 2007.
  • Regional Planetary Image Facility meeting, "Science Update: Ice on the Moon?", Nov. 1, 2006.
  • News 10 TV interview, "The Moon's cold, but not icy", aired on Oct 19-20, 2006.
  • News 10 TV interview, Asteroid impact risk, aired on Aug. 19-20, 2006.
  • News 10 TV interview, "Cornell professor weighs on asteroid threat", aired on Feb. 19, 2006.
  • Cornell Friends of Astronomy Banquet Dinner Talk, "Asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects", Oct. 8, 2005.
  • Teacher Workshop Presentation, "Binary Minor Planets", Jan. 17, 2005.