“In acting, a method actor becomes the thing, right?
“I hear and see a lot about techniques in technology in certain areas like AI. My personality tends to levitate toward wanting to try things out, wanting to build and break, as opposed to watching from the stands. So, it may not be with every piece of technology, but every year, I try to take one or two things that I want to learn and get some hands-on experience with it. I make sure I have some time within my day to think about the bigger picture. Think about things that haven’t been created yet, instead of just working the here and now.
“For example, [outside my work as the project manager for the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO)] I took training to be qualified as a Type 2 Wildland Firefighter. Part of my interest was to better understand who I am developing technology for and how they would use it. So, I went through a lot of the training courses and got my certification this year. My hope is that sometime this fire season I can get an opportunity to go out and help out with the fires, particularly in California.
“And likewise with my drone’s pilot license. My kids were really interested in my work with drones, and during the last extended furlough I decided to learn a new skill in flying drones. And so, [outside of my work on uncrewed aircraft systems] I decided to get a drone pilot license and then show my kids how to fly drones.
“So, part of the motivation [for my method acting] is just out of interest. I always find value out of the new skill. It lends itself both to my personal life and professional life.”
— Dr. Marcus Johnson, Project Manager, Aviation Systems Division, NASA’s Ames Research Center
Interviewer: NASA / Thalia Patrinos
Image Credit: Dominic Hart