Tanya Harrison GHO Blog Response

Tanya Harrison is a planetary scientist, as well as a Ph.D. student in Geology at the University of Western Ontario. She works on planetary science with the Centre for Planetary Science and Space Exploration (CPSX, but focuses mainly on the planet Mars. Tanya is also a professional photographer.

On the 14th of June 2016, my class and I got the chance to chat with Tanya about her discoveries and work with Mars via a Google Hangout.

When asking questions, I partnered up with Carter. Our question was “What interests you the most about astronomy?” but I decided to change it up last minute and ask “Would you ever consider going to Mars yourself?” It was a question that I was significantly more interested about, and I was keen on finding out the answer. She answered in more simple terms, “Possibly, but most likely not.”

Something that really shocked me was that Tanya also told us there were now signs of water on Mars, even though it was only streams of salt. It was only proof that there had to be water on the planet. It was a good feeling to know that we were amongst the first to know about it, and further fueled my interest in space and science. She also mentioned that in so

many years on Mars, the rovers don’t move all that much (some clocking in at only a few kilometers.) Another thing I learned was that if you have an interest in becoming a planetary scientist, there’s a lot of education, schooling and options in trying to figure out what’s the best option for you. She told us that there are so many various routes and fields of expertise. Trying to figure out exactly what you want to do may take time, and that’s okay as well.

Overall, I thought it was another fascinating experience and a Google Hangout to remember. Although the live streaming didn’t work out too well, the information we gained from it is still irreplaceable. I still had some questions though, such as “Why was her interest directed only towards Mars?” I also felt like I stepped out of my box when I asked her a question myself. It was something that was terrifying yet satisfying.

Our GHO with Tanya! It cuts off after a few minutes 🙁