In this episode of Science Engaged, Dr. Kristel Tjandra speaks with Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase, a senior scientist and senior education and communication specialist at the Planetary Science Institute, a nonprofit organization that supports a distributed network of planetary scientists. She is also the co-creator of the Milky Way Project, a participatory science initiative that contributes to the understanding of how stars form. 

In 2024, Dr. Wolf-Chase was elected as an American Astronomical Society fellow for outstanding and sustained work to bring the wonders of astronomical research to the general public. In our conversation, she explains why she views public engagement as integral to scientific practice itself, not separate from it. Drawing on her experience designing and sustaining citizen science projects, she highlights one of the central design constraints that practitioners often underestimate: while many people are motivated to contribute to science, participation is limited less by interest than by time. This reality shaped the Milky Way Project and similar initiatives to allow flexible, low-commitment participation without requiring long-term obligations.

Click here to access the full analysis of the conversation.