What do a great pie and a career in science have in common? Paleontologist Julia Clarke, that’s what. As part of the U.S. Embassy Speaker Program, Professor Julia Clarke - one of the world’s top experts on bird evolution and vertebrate paleontology - visited Aotearoa New Zealand to connect with local scientists, students, and conservationists. Julia is a professor at The University of Texas at Austin, has led expeditions on multiple continents, and her work has been featured in Nature , National...
May 27, 2025•14 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, Dr. Todd Belt, Director of the Political Management Program at The George Washington University, discusses the key challenges and opportunities in modern political campaigns. From the rise of misinformation to navigating the 2024 U.S. election, Dr. Belt offers insights into the evolving political landscape, the skills future leaders need, and his reflections on New Zealand’s political system. Perfect for anyone interested in politics, media, and leadership in a rapidly changing ...
Oct 28, 2024•12 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, Mike from the US Embassy sits down with AI experts Jessica Zosa Forde and James Pavur to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, policy, and ethics. They dive into topics such as AI's role in preserving indigenous languages, the ethical challenges of large language models, and the importance of data sovereignty for indigenous communities. Their insights from their recent visit to New Zealand offer a unique perspective on the future of AI and its global impact....
Sep 30, 2024•8 min•Ep. 20
While in Aotearoa, New Zealand, for the Opportunity Rover replica and "Goodnight Oppy" movie tour, Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Dr. Vandi Verma, a leading space roboticist and chief engineer, sits down with Muna Shikaki from the American Film Showcase. In this episode, Dr. Verma shares her thrilling experiences driving the Opportunity Rover on Mars, the importance of inspiring the next generation of space explorers, and how advancements in rover technology are shaping the future of Mars missions....
Sep 22, 2024•13 min•Ep. 19
Mike from the Embassy the privilege of sitting down with John Gastil, Distinguished Professor at Penn State and a leading expert on deliberative democracy. In this insightful episode, Gastil discusses his talk "Democracy 2.0," which he presented at the University of Auckland's symposium on "Reinvigorating and Reinventing Democracy for the 21st Century." Tune in as John explores innovative ways to strengthen democracy and deliberative politics, the concept of mini-publics, social media's impact o...
Jun 19, 2024•27 min•Ep. 18
🚀 Tune in to "From Classroom to Cosmos: High School Student Interviews NASA's Brian Drouin"! We celebrate 150 years of U.S. – NZ scientific collaboration as Brian Drouin, Senior Research Scientist at NASA JPL, shared his journey and insights into space careers at Onslow College in Wellington. Discover how the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) project is shedding light on the Arctic climate and the successful launch by New Zealand’s Rocket Lab. 🌌 Onslow College stude...
Jun 11, 2024•12 min•Ep. 17
Join us for a riveting episode as Mike from the U.S. Embassy sits down with Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, former NASA astronaut and US Navy captain, during her visit to Wellington in February 2024. From thrilling spacewalks to the lighter side of life in space, including haircuts and pies, Heidemarie shares insights from her stellar career and pioneering efforts in STEM and underwater salvage. This concise chat offers a unique glimpse into the life of an astronaut, blending significant achieveme...
Feb 21, 2024•22 min•Ep. 16
Deputy Chief of Mission, Kevin Covert, had a conversation with Political/Economic Officer, Nathan Carter, on why the U.S. is a great option for Kiwi entrepreneurs to look to for business opportunities. Covert and Carter briefly touch on the E-1 and E-2 Visas for business (and give examples of successful applicants), and the SelectUSA Investment Summit - what it is, and how Kiwi businesses can be involved. What are E-1 and E-2 visas? Treaty Trader (E-1) and Treaty Investor (E-2) visas are for cit...
Nov 14, 2019•10 min•Ep. 15
In 2019, the Embassy was proud to support Miramar Creative ’s Creative Futures conference – the two-day event offered insights into new technologies and demonstrated their application to creativity, business and our future daily lives. One of the U.S. speakers at Creative Futures was Mark Ordesky - Partner & Producer, Court Five. Mark Ordesky is an American film and television producer and former Hollywood studio executive. He’s probably best known for executive producing the Oscar-winning T...
Nov 13, 2019•6 min•Ep. 14
"Hello everybody and welcome back to another podcast from the U.S. Embassy. My name is Ted Danowitz and I am based at our Consulate in Auckland where I cover the U.S. - New Zealand space policy. Outside of my day job I am also NASA aficionado and space camp alum which is why I'm especially glad to welcome with us today Doctor Anna Fisher, NASA astronaut, who is in New Zealand to share her experience working with NASA, going into space, and promoting women into stem fields, so welcome Doctor Fish...
Nov 13, 2019•23 min•Ep. 13
In 2019, the Embassy was proud to support Miramar Creative ’s Creative Futures conference – the two-day event offered insights into new technologies and demonstrated their application to creativity, business and our future daily lives. One of the U.S. speakers at Creative Futures was Professor Margaret Maile Petty - Executive Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Technology, Sydney. Margaret has served in a series of academic leadership roles in the United States, New Zealan...
Nov 13, 2019•9 min•Ep. 12
Deputy Chief of Mission, Kevin Covert, was at the unveiling of the U.S. LeoLabs, Inc. Radar in Otago back in October, 2019. Satellite collisions will become less common thanks to LeoLabs tech, which can map space junk that are as small as 2cms in diameter. Such a great addition to the NZ space sector. Thanks to Dan and his team for putting on a beautiful Otago day for the official opening.📡 LeoLabs’ mission is to secure commercial operations in low Earth orbit (LEO). As the LEO ecosystem around...
Oct 24, 2019•7 min•Ep. 11
U.S. Consul General Choe introduced renowned cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath who presented at the U.S. Embassy founded Project Connect series to an audience of 150, on how it’s possible to enhance the appetite and ability to learn at both a personal and organisational level (read U.S. Embassy Youth Council Lit Wei’s account of the talk here ). In addition to the talk, Jared gave two Masterclasses in Auckland, and had additional programming in Wellington & Christchurch. In W...
Oct 24, 2019•26 min•Ep. 10
The U.S. Consulate in Auckland sponsored two U.S.designers to attend the Pacific Fusion Fashion Show (PFFS) - Ari South from Hawaii, and Afa Ah Loo from Utah – you may have seen them on America’s reality show Bravo’s Project Runway. While in New Zealand the Pacific Fusion Fashion U.S. designers took time to work with other local & international designers at a 2 day workshop supported by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Ari South and Afa Ah Loo spoke to the other 11 design...
Oct 07, 2019•7 min•Ep. 9
The U.S. Consulate in Auckland sponsored two U.S.designers to attend the Pacific Fusion Fashion Show (PFFS) - Ari South from Hawaii, and Afa Ah Loo from Utah – you may have seen them on America’s reality show Bravo’s Project Runway. While in New Zealand the Pacific Fusion Fashion U.S. designers took time to work with other local & international designers at a 2 day workshop supported by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Ari South and Afa Ah Loo spoke to the other 11 design...
Oct 07, 2019•6 min•Ep. 8
David Clifford is an American edu-agitator who founded Design School X (DSX) and co-created Liberatory Design . He builds irresistible learning environments of belonging and becoming. David has been an artist, designer, builder and equity/social justice-oriented educator for over 25 years. Much of this time has been spent designing curriculum and culture that utilise tensions (academia and the arts, power and oppression, white supremacy and multiculturalism) for creative opportunities to inspire...
Sep 16, 2019•11 min•Ep. 7
Dr Sarah Kessans is a US-born New Zealand scientist and biochemist, a multi-national champion in rowing and was in the top 50 applicants—out of over 18,000—in the NASA astronaut programme. She’s earned degrees in plant and molecular biologies, worked on a plant-based HIV vaccine, and is now working at the cutting edge of synthetic biology solutions to combat climate change, facilitate space colonisation, and advance innovations in medicine and agriculture. In short, she’s figuring out what we’ll...
Sep 16, 2019•7 min•Ep. 6
Mk Haley has been with The Walt Disney Company since 1994 serving primarily with Walt Disney Imagineering in both technical and creative roles with the Virtual Reality teams, R&D, Special FX, Show Quality Services and now the Disney Research . These teams allowed support of projects with a 10 year lead time, to critical in-park issues that needed immediate solutions. Mk has also served Disney Corporate initiatives related to New Technology programs and collaboration tools, as well as Disney ...
May 14, 2019•5 min•Ep. 5
Butterscotch, the vocal percussionist virtuosa, uses her powerful voice to defy gender and music social constructs. She began her career in the underground male-dominated beatbox battle scene, where she was crowned the world's first female beatbox champion. Butterscotch blends Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul and Reggae and her shows are emotionally and physically invigorating with her trifecta fusion of singing, beatboxing, and playing either piano or guitar simultaneously, or creating endless layers on her...
May 03, 2019•8 min•Ep. 4
Aaron Rasmussen is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and game designer. He is a co-founder of MasterClass - an American online education platform where students can access tutorials and lectures pre-recorded by experts in various fields. Masterclass.com has interviews from stars such as Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Stephen Curry, Gordan Ramsey, Natalie Portland, and Malcolm Gladwell. Aaron was in New Zealand for the Creative Leadership conference (CLNZ) that the U.S. Embassy supporte...
May 03, 2019•8 min•Ep. 3
