Nadia Drake has spent her career artfully navigating the intersection of science and communication. By the time she was born, her father, Frank, had become iconic for his scientifically rigorous attempts to communicate with life beyond Earth, suffusing her childhood with cosmic awe and hopes of making contact. Her own academic pursuits led her first to professional dance and then to a Ph.D. in genetics. But Nadia blossomed after graduating from the science writing master’s program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her deep scientific rigor pairs beautifully with her boundless curiosity and her vivacious writing style, making her one of the most powerful voices in science journalism today. Whether she is covering far-away worlds, encounters with jungle cats, or the environmental hazards of light pollution, Nadia effortlessly guides readers through complex concepts with her meticulous reporting, sparkling prose and dry wit. Her talents are on full display in her story “The Alien Moon Shot,” published in the October 2023 issue of National Geographic, which is honored this year with the AGU Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism.

In a testament to her adventurous spirit, Nadia’s first reporting trip for this story involved flying to the snow-crusted islands of Svalbard so she could spend weeks aboard a Norwegian icebreaker. There she chronicled a research team’s attempts to study hydrothermal vents that billow under a permanent coating of ice, a tantalizing analogue for what scientists think might be happening deep within the frigid moons Europa and Enceladus. She also visited the chilly chambers of Italy’s Frasassi cave system, another potential analogue for the extreme habitats possible on alien moons. Scientists are sampling microbes from these caves that thrive in seemingly inhospitable waters loaded with toxic compounds and depleted of oxygen. Nadia’s evocative descriptions showcase her keen eye for detail — yes, she got the name of the dog — and her ear for quotes highlights her quirky sense of humor. But what really makes the story come alive is her empathetic recounting of what happens when things go sideways. An advanced remotely operated craft is feared lost at sea; a cave diver does not report back on time. Nadia’s story lays out the realities of scientific fieldwork in thoughtful, emotional language that reminds readers what’s at stake, personally and professionally, for the people dedicated to answering one of the most profound questions for our species: Are we alone?

—Victoria Jaggard
Science News
Washington, D.C.