At the MIT Media Lab, visionary women are at the forefront of groundbreaking research in space exploration and sustainable climate solutions under the Future Worlds Research Theme. Their innovative leadership is driving transformative technologies and strategies to create a better future for all living beings on Earth and beyond.

Feet on Earth, head in the stars

The thing that got Danielle Wood ’04, SM ’08, PhD ’12, interested in space was
the joy of earthlings.

She’d never considered a career in space research, and in her mid-teens she was interested in what seemed to her “directly socially useful” work, like building hurricane-resistant buildings. But when a high school internship at NASA introduced her to the excitement that permeated the space community, she was hooked. 

Still, a career in space didn’t quite make sense to her when there were so many issues on Earth that felt pressing. This tension followed her into her undergrad years at MIT, when she studied aerospace engineering during the school year and volunteered at a school in Kenya in the summers.

Can I actually make my version of working on space about helping Earth and addressing social issues?