Satellites, Wildfires, and Geography as Home Economics on a Global Scale with Dr Jessica McCarty

<p>Dr Jessica McCarty is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Geospatial Analysis Center at Miami University in the United States. She has more than 15 years’ experience in remote sensing and geospatial science to quantify wildland and human-caused fires, fire emissions, agriculture and food security, and land-cover/land-use change. She is a NASA-funded investigator and author or co-author of more than 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, 4 data citations, and 1 NASA Technology Transfer. She is a member of the NASA Land-Cover/Land-Use Science Team and an Arctic Council Working Group, and has worked closely with many U.S. federal and state agencies as well as the United Nations. She is originally from the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky and is a mom. She prefers dogs to cats and coffee to tea.  </p> <p>In our conversation, we talk about the multidisciplinary nature of geography, fire, agriculture, and the two-body problem.</p> <p>Show Notes: <a href='https://steampoweredshow.com/shows/jessica-mccarty'>https://steampoweredshow.com/shows/jessica-mccarty</a></p> <p>[00:01:02] Jessica's journey to public policy. [00:01:30] Being willing to say yes to some seemingly odd requests. [00:02:14] Mapping human-caused fire across the lower 48 states of the US. [00:03:09] Being asked to do similar for Europe / Eurasia and IIASA. [00:04:26] The importance of international conferences and being exposed to the policy side of the work. [00:05:13] Understanding diplomacy and cross-cultural communication in a global space. [00:07:24] Fire and agriculture are male dominated areas. [00:10:16] Be willing to say 'yes', but recognise when you're not the right fit for the opportunity. Pay it forward. [00:12:28] Get to know who your civil servants are because science is closely tied to the factors that make up our society. [00:14:00] Scientists and policy-makers work together to find solutions. [00:16:52] Sometimes the reality is hard to hear. But it's necessary. [00:17:19] The private sector is becoming