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 Geographic, and Science Friday. In this episode, Mike chats with Julia about the evolutionary mysteries of flightless birds like the kiwi and moa, what fossils tell us about resilience, and how science diplomacy builds bridges.  And yes, Mike drops the pie question as an analogy:What gives you comfort and satisfaction in your work?Julia’s answer? Listen to find out!  Science, laughs, and a side of pastry, served fresh from the US Embassy NZ.

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 world.

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.

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. She also offers insights for young Kiwis looking to break into space tech and highlights the value of teamwork in large-scale space exploration projects.

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 on democracy, the rise of AI and its effects on democratic systems, and highlights from his book "Hope for Democracy." Don’t miss this engaging conversation!Listen now and join the discussion on the future of democracy.Views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsement of the U.S. Government or the U.S. Department of State.

🚀 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 student Kyle Solomon had the stellar opportunity to interview Brian for this exclusive podcast episode. More about PREFIRE: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/missions-launched/ready-aim-prefire/ #ScienceCollaboration #USNZ150Years 🇺🇸🇳🇿

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 achievements with delightful anecdotes. Don't miss this journey from ocean depths to outer space!   Photos from Heide's visit.  

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 citizens of countries with which the United States maintains treaties of commerce and navigation, including New Zealand. To find out if your business qualifies, what you need to apply, and how to apply, visit our overview page here. SelectUSA Investment Summit – what is it all about? Visit the Mission website to understand what the SelectUSA Summit is, and hear from two New Zealanders who traveled as part of U.S. Ambassador Brown’s delegation to SelectUSA Summit 2019. Did you know... In 2018 U.S. companies invested NZ$7.4 billion in New Zealand; There are over 300 U.S. companies with subsidiary branches in New Zealand; New Zealand companies are responsible for creating more than 30,000 jobs in the United States; We are seeing tremendous partnerships in the tech sector and the space sector in particular with Rocket Lab and LeoLabs; For Kiwi businesses, connecting to the US markets provides access to 330 million new customers as well as serving as a natural launching point for Canada and South America; Air-links are increasing with a recent direct route to Chicago added and a new direct route to New York beginning soon; U.S. tourism to New Zealand has grown by 9% this year with nearly 370,000 visitors and accounting for NZ$1.38 billion; We see a range of successful U.S. franchises in New Zealand. We encourage Kiwi entrepreneurs to attend an International Franchise Expo (IFE) held in a few U.S. cities each year.  They are a great way to learn about franchise opportunities to bring back to New Zealand. Listen to Covert & Carter below.... Transcript.  

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 The Lord of the Rings trilogy – during which Mark spent the better part of five years in New Zealand supporting his friend Peter Jackson’s historic vision. But Mark was already no stranger to championing New Zealand filmmakers, having acquired US distribution rights to Once Were Warriors at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. (pictured: DCM Kevin with Mark Ordesky (Partner & Producer, Court Five). Photo credit: U.S. Department of State.) Currently, Mark co-runs his independent production company, Court Five, with fellow New Line veteran Jane Fleming – fashioning independent film and TV content for Hollywood studios and broadcasters, as well as global streamers like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon.  Mike C from the Embassy caught up with Mark while he was in Wellington at the Creative Futures conference... Transcript.

"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 Fisher." Transcript.

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 Zealand and Australia, where she has developed and managed a wide spectrum of impactful programmes and initiatives primarily focused on design and innovation. (Pictured: DCM Kevin with 🇺🇸 Professor Margaret Maile Petty (Executive Director Innovation And Entrepreneurship, University Of Technology, Sydney), and 🇺🇸 Jason Hintz Llopis (Digital Innovation Producer – Walt Disney Parks, Experience And Products). Photo credit: U.S. Department of State.) This focus has also allowed Margaret to develop and explore new approaches to the creation and scaling of student entrepreneurship, and the role of universities in supporting and driving innovation ecosystems. Originally trained as a design historian, Margaret continues to research, speak and publish on topics broadly investigating the politics and production of the modern built environment.Mike C from the Embassy caught up with Margaret while she was in Wellington at the Creative Futures reception... Transcript.

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 our planet gets more congested, the risk of collisions rises, and the need to map the orbits of spacecraft, satellites and space debris grows with every launch. Meanwhile, new generations of commercial spacecraft, such as small and cube satellites, are causing a dramatic increase in imaging, communications and human spaceflight prospects. LeoLabs was founded to address these risks today. With a worldwide network of ground-based, phased-array radars that enable high-resolution data on objects in LEO, LeoLabs is uniquely equipped to offer foundational mapping data and services to mitigate the risks of collisions. These services include rapid orbit determination, early operational support, and ongoing orbit awareness. LeoLabs is a venture-funded company based in Menlo Park, CA, and provides its services to commercial satellite operators, government regulatory and space agencies, and satellite management services firms. More about LeoLabs: https://www.leolabs.space. While in Otago, Kevin had a chance to catch up with Dan Ceperly, LeoLabs co-founder and CEO... Transcript.

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 Wellington, Jared had a business lunch with the Deputy Chief of Mission, Keven Covert, and members of the local business community; visited a location based VR startup beyond.fun; ran a Future of Works team sprint at Creative HQ; and presented at a Startup Garage to an audience of 130. In Christchurch Jared spoke to an audience of 140 at The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce and met with the local business community. While in New Zealand, Mike Cousins from the U.S. Embassy caught up with Dr Jared at his hotel reception in downtown Wellington...Transcript.

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 designers to share their expertise on the business side of the fashion industry! The 2019 Pacific Fusion Fashion Show was incredible!! We were treated to the VIP experience, including a backstage tour to meet all the models and designers. Check out these quick snaps from the night (and full album links below). A massive shout out to our good friend and Pacific Women Leader Nora Swann plus a special mention to our sponsored designers Afa Ah Loo and Ari South!! While at PFFS, Jethro from the U.S. Embassy caught up with Ari South... More photos on FlickR (Afa album) (Ari album) (PFFS album) Transcript.

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 designers to share their expertise on the business side of the fashion industry! The 2019 Pacific Fusion Fashion Show was incredible!! We were treated to the VIP experience, including a backstage tour to meet all the models and designers. Check out these quick snaps from the night (and full album links below). A massive shout out to our good friend and Pacific Women Leader Nora Swann plus a special mention to our sponsored designers Afa Ah Loo and Ari South!! While at PFFS, Jethro from the U.S. Embassy caught up with Afa Ah Loo... More photos on FlickR (Afa album) (Ari album) (PFFS album) Transcript.

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 humanity and creative agents of change.   David co-founded the East Bay School for Boys as a feminist act to empower middle school boys to be thoughtful, courageous and engaged men of tomorrow. Before that, during his 13 years at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco leading the Technical Arts department, David co-designed and built many programs: Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership, Philanthropy Initiative, Senegal Service Learning Project and Private Skills for Public Purpose. David incubated DSX and co-created Liberatory Design while a fellow and K12 Lab Senior Learning Experience Designer at Stanford’s d.school.  As a heterosexual, upper-middle class, able-bodied white man, David is the beneficiary of the generations of oppression of people in U.S. He uses his legacy privilege to challenge the very systems and structures of oppression that placed him in his unearned place of power. This self-awareness, coupled with his design/builder mindset and skill-set give David a fortuitous opportunity to rattle status quo cages found within the white worlds of education and the design/design thinking/maker communities.In 2019, the U.S. Embassy supported the 10th anniversary of TEDx Christchurch, where David spoke to a full Christchurch Town Hall audience.While at TEDx Christchurch, David caught up with James Fleury from the U.S. Embassy Youth Council. Have a listen... Transcript.  

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 eat on Mars. She uses her work whilst educating and inspiring future leaders to courageously tackle scientific and societal challenges with purpose, integrity, and empathy. In 2006, Sarah spent 16 hours clinging to a capsised rowboat during her first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Two years later she returned with a crew to complete her mission, setting a world record in the process.In 2019, the U.S. Embassy supported the 10th anniversary of TEDx Christchurch, where Sarah spoke to a full Christchurch Town Hall audience. While at TEDx Christchurch, Sarah caught up with James Fleury from the U.S. Embassy Youth Council. Have a listen... Transcript.

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 Digital Media initiatives with our Television Groups. She has been an educator for 20 years teaching at both the high school and University level, including the Imagineering – UCLA partnership in Themed Entertainment Design, and recently served as both the Associate Executive Producer and Faculty at the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. With more than 25 years of service to ACM SIGGRAPH, Mk more recently served as the SIGGRAPH 2013 Conference Chair. Mk was in New Zealand for a nationwide series of talks with support from the U.S. Embassy and Te Papa’s innovation hub Mahuki. The series was called  “The Innovation of the Experience Economy” - a series of four talks and workshops exploring the future of “the experience” within the culture and heritage sector and beyond.Mike from the U.S. Embassy had a few minutes to chat with Mk Haley while in a cab in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington... Transcript.

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 loop station. With a voice reminiscent of Billie Holiday and rap verses comparable to Lauryn Hill, Butterscotch courageously sings about her love life, depression, and daily struggles of being a biracial queer woman of color. Her philanthropic mission is to empower and elevate people through music and compassion. Butterscotch has opened up for Erykah Badu, Earth, Wind & Fire, Thievery Corporation, Sergio Mendes, Wyclef Jean and other musical legends. Butterscotch was in New Zealand for the Creative Leadership conference (CLNZ) that the U.S. Embassy supported.  CLNZ was a two-day conference connecting visionary humans into a creative community to solve contemporary challenges. Butterscotch also had an opportunity to meet with the wider community while in Wellington, including giving this performance (video) to other 600 enthusiastic children at a local school. Public Affairs Officer, Dolores Prin, had a chance to sit down with Butterscotch Clinton in a state-of-the-art CoCa Massey University studio to find out what makes her tick…or beatbox… Transcript.

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 supported.  CLNZ was a two-day conference connecting visionary humans into a creative community to solve contemporary challenges.Aaron recently co-founded - https://outlier.org - an online education course company Mike from the US Embassy had a chance to sit down with Aaron while down at a startup co-working space in Wellington (BizDojo) to talk about MasterClass, interviewing techniques and...pies! Transcript.