5 Questions with Emma Stefanacci
Tim Schmitt
Emma Stefanacci ’22 may be new to her role as a content fellow in the Office of Communications and Marketing, but she’s been hard at work already, sharing stories of Ƶians involved in research, summer Mentored Advanced Projects (MAPS), and exciting internships. A Denver native, Emma came to Ƶ as a student in 2018; she graduated with a degree in mathematics and a concentration in linguistics, and later earned a master’s degree in science communication from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With her background as a Ƶian, her academic training, and her personal passions for astronomy and environmental conservation, Emma is well-equipped to spotlight the exciting work happening across STEM fields at Ƶ and invites community members to reach out and share “anything you find nerdy or exciting.” She kindly agreed to answer a few questions so we could learn more about her interests and work.
Q: What hobbies or activities are you involved in?
A: Many of my non-work interests overlap into work. I love astronomy and the outdoors and have always been interested in science. I just signed up for the Iowa Master Naturalist program to learn more about the unique environment here. I also really love storytelling and understanding how we share information. And that is what I get to do now: tell stories about cool (mostly science) things that are happening here at Ƶ. Other non-work interests include reading, birding, cooking, and I do a lot of little DIY projects.
Q: How does working at the College compare to being a student here?
A: I haven’t been here very long, but I’m really interested to see how I fit into the campus community in this new role. So far, I’ve noticed that living in town and working in our downtown office, I am already experiencing much more of the town community than I did as a student. When I was a student, the combination of the pandemic and studying abroad meant I was only on campus for about two of my four years, and I spent most of that time on campus proper. I’m glad I get the chance to experience more of what Ƶ has to offer. I am still a Ƶian, and campus is familiar, but I’ve also taken what I learned at Ƶ and grown into someone new in the past three years, so it’s a little surreal to be back.
Q: So what have you been up to since graduating?
A: The year after I graduated, I worked for the National Park Service doing strategic communications as a way to see if science communications was really what I wanted to do (it is!). That was cool because I helped with some large-scale campaign planning and storytelling. I wrote a few stories for the website and also produced a weekly newsletter about the happenings at the parks. After that work, which confirmed I wanted to do science communications, and I decided to get some more specific education and training in that area. That led me to the MS in science communication program at UW-Madison, from which I graduated in May. The program was great, and I learned a lot. My thesis was about how total solar eclipses provide a unique opportunity for public engagement, and I got to see the April 2024 eclipse at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of that project.
Q: You also interned at NASA — what was that experience like? And can you now confirm the existence of aliens for us?
A: I was an intern for one of the social media teams at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. I created content for the different platforms under the @NASAUniverse account, which focuses on astrophysics missions that are not any of the flagships (like the Hubble or James Webb telescopes). It was great because I got to highlight some of the work that is not always the most prominent in the public eye. I did some work with black holes and the gravitational waves team, made a Chappel Roan parody about nebulae, and led a campaign for the launch anniversary of the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission.
As far as the existence of aliens, I think it is arrogant of us to think we’re so special that we’re the only life in the universe, so I feel pretty confident there is some other life out there somewhere, but I have no idea if we’ll ever connect with it.
Q: What is your favorite Ƶ moment to date?
A: I played on the soccer team for my first couple years at Ƶ, but then, after COVID, I decided to study abroad rather than play my senior season. I was a little nervous coming back since most of my friends were on the team, and I didn’t quite know where I fit. But they were all great and welcomed me back in without hesitation. Some of my favorite memories were from evenings when we would sit on the porch of the soccer house off campus and play euchre while chatting about nothing and everything.