Roadtrip Nation

A new team of Roadtrippers embarks on a cross-country Roadtrip to interview innovative leaders about their roads in life. Starting their 7-week journey in Southern California, the team interviews Dr. Graeme Rae, the Chief Scientist for Surfline.com.

In Hollywood, the Roadtrippers interview Dr. Valerie Weiss, who abandoned her Ph.D in Biophysics to make films. Later, at Facebook headquarters, the team meets Director of Data Operations Delfina Eberly before embarking on a zipline tour through Redwoods at the Mount Hermon Outdoor Science School.

The Roadtrippers interview food scientist Elise Benstein at the Jelly Belly factory before speaking with Nuclear Engineer Deon Clark about his rough childhood in South Side Chicago. Later, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Paul Salopek shares his non-linear life experiences.

At Texas Instruments, the Roadtrippers interview Process Integration Engineer Byron Williams before heading to the ATT Foundry to meet Senior Marketing Manager Tracey Parrish. Later, at the National Space Biomedical Research Center, Deputy Chief Scientist Dorit Donoviel talks about shifting careers.

In Chicago, the Roadtrippers interview Zach Kaplan, the CEO and Co-Founder of Inventables, a company that connects product developers with novel materials. The team then heads to Chicagoland Skydiving Center to interview skydiving instructor Ward Hessig and do a skydive of their own.

In New York, the Roadtrippers interview Radiolab radio show host Jad Abumrad, who discusses his unsuccessful attempts at other careers. Jad's story teaches the team that they might not end up where they planned in life, but their ultimate road could be even better than what they expected.

In New York City, the Roadtrippers interview Mariette DiChristina, Editor-in-Chief of Scientific American. Later, the team meets Vicki Smith, a game designer at Vicarious Visions who forged a path in video games after feeling unfulfilled as an engineer.

The Roadtrippers finish up their cross-country journey in Massachusetts, speaking with MIT Biophysicist Jeremy England, and Juan Enriquez, a life sciences researcher. For their final interview, the team meets Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a molecular biologist and the 3rd Mexican-American woman to earn a Ph.D in science in the U.S.