Episode Details
Back to EpisodesFrom Engineering to Adventure: Dr. Tracy Fanara's Environmental Journey
Description
Dylan Welch sits down with Dr. Tracy Fanara, to discuss her career as an environmental engineer.
Dr. Tracy Fanara went from a curious nine-year-old surrounded by cancer clusters to a leading environmental engineer and adventure scientist. Her mission: to protect the systems that keep us—and the planet—healthy.
From clean water infrastructure to fighting harmful algae blooms, Tracy’s career has spanned civil engineering, NOAA ocean modeling, and now her own initiative, Inspector Planet. She makes complex science accessible through storytelling—like her viral “Cocaine Sharks” Discovery Channel project, which highlighted chemical pollution in marine ecosystems.
Her work tackles urban runoff, coastal contamination, and our biggest obstacle: human behavior. Whether storm chasing or hiking volcanoes, Tracy uses adventure and citizen science to boost environmental literacy and inspire action.
Follow her journey @inspectorplanet or at inspectorplanet.com.