If we want a thriving future scientific community, we first need to understand why people choose — or don’t choose — careers in STEM.

This week on Whimsical Wavelengths, we turn the telescope around and look not at stars, but at the people who choose to study them. What shapes a scientist’s identity? Why do some students pursue STEM — and astronomy in particular — while others drift away? And how do mentorship, representation, and community determine who sees themselves as “belonging” in science?

To explore these questions, I’m joined by Dr. Zachary Richards: a researcher whose path moved from physics into science education, now a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History and a faculty member at York College, City University of New York. His recent work examines how scientists form professional identity, how students imagine themselves in scientific roles, and how educational environments influence those choices.

In this episode, we discuss:

• how early experiences shape STEM career decisions
• the role of mentorship and representation in building scientific identity
• why astronomy offers a unique lens for studying belonging in STEM
• parallels between challenges in astronomy and fields like geoscience, where enrollment and workforce sustainability are pressing issues
• what institutions can do to attract and support the next generation of scientists

Whether you’re a scientist, an educator, or simply curious about how people end up devoting their lives to understanding the universe, this episode offers a thoughtful look at the human side of STEM.

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