Roadtrip Nation

A new road trip begins! Road-trippers Ariel, Elicia, and Regina set off in the green RV to meet inspiring women in STEM who've forged their own paths. In Boston, they hear why Harvard professor Evelynn Hammonds went from physics to the history of science, and artist Janet Echelman, whose awe-inspiring sculptures sway above cities across the world, shares the importance of finding your own voice.

In NYC, the road-trippers meet the mechanical engineer who's pushing touch technology into the future. Katherine Kuchenbecker is working on haptic technologies that will shape medicine, commerce, and more. Next up, artist and activist Zaria Forman talks about the transformative power of travel, and entrepreneur Jewel Burks tells her gutsy story of building a company from the ground up.

As the road-trippers head south, they visit NASA's largest rocket engine test facility and meet two women who are launching America into space and proving that there isn't just one path to success. Then, with former MIT Media Lab professor Leah Buechley, the team sees how merging your interests can create something amazing, and inspire more girls to pursue STEM and create amazing things, too.

The road-trippers end their journey in San Francisco, where they meet Debbie Sterling and hear about the experiences that sparked her company, GoldieBlox, which makes engineering toys for girls. Last up, MythBusters' Kari Byron talks about experimentation, curiosity, being brave, and doing things you didn't think you could do; but her most important work is being a role model for young girls.

Meet Natalie, Robin, and Zoed, three computer science students from three very different backgrounds, all of which are underrepresented in tech. This season, the team will embark on a cross-country road trip to meet and interview trailblazing leaders in their field. Their journey begins in sunny Los Angeles, where they visit NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and meet infamous computer hacker, Samy Kamkar.

The team starts to bond as they drive the Green RV into the heart of Silicon Valley, a major hub for innovation in technology. While there, they talk to Phillip Loya of CODE2040 and Laura Gomez of Atipica about using computer science to advance each of their respective communities. They also visit Netflix HQ, where Sabry Tozin, a first-generation Congolese immigrant, tells them, "Don't fit in."

The road-trippers take a much-needed meditative break in Yosemite National Park before continuing on to DEF CON, a Las Vegas conference that dispels some of their misconceptions about "hackers." Then it's off to Denver, where the team lets loose at Sphero, a robotics company that puts an emphasis on fun. In Chicago, 3D printer Dima Elissa encourages the team to embrace their unique identities.

The final week of the trip begins in New York, where the team sits down with the co-founders of New York on Tech, an organization providing tech-based training to low-income students in Brooklyn. The last leg of the journey takes the Green RV to Boston, Natalie's hometown. After conducting their final interview at MIT, the team reflects on the friendships and lessons they'll take home with them.

The keys to the Green RV go to three new road-trippers, all interested in design, who kick-start their cross-country journey of self-discovery with a visit to the art-tech spectacle of Two Bit Circus, where founders Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman share their story of dabbling across domains and finding inspiration at the intersection of their interests.

The East Coast born and bred road-trippers experience a totally foreign way of life-laidback and Californian as they ride jet packs, talk to the creator of Frozen's Elsa in L.A., and venture north to Ventura where Patagonia designer John Rapp instructs them in the relaxed ways of West Coast work-life, finding what you love and digging in, and creating balance wherever you are.

In Oakland, Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington tells a story of fleeing his comfort zone and moving to Japan, where he found an unexpected teacher and an unexpected calling when he accidentally bought dog food for dinner one night. Santa Cruz Guitar founder Richard Hoover shares his philosophy of teaching and service and leads the road-trippers into Santa Cruz's misty, magical redwood forest.

The road-trippers head to Skywalker Ranch, where Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt recounts driving cross-country to California twice before his dreams of being a sound designer beat back his fear of change. Pixar animator Ralph Eggleston talks about getting beyond the world you inhabit and going deeper into what interests you, and Janice Levenhagen-Seeley of ChickTech advocates challenging the status quo.

The road-trippers explore the Experience Music Project in Seattle, where experience designer Andrea Weatherhead advises that the best path toward happiness is getting to know yourself. In Colorado, the team meets interior designer Eiko Okura, who urges them to stop overthinking and see what emerges, and Michael Franti, who advocates for making lots of decisions and seeing what sticks.

The road-trippers try their hand at spinning molten glass with glassblower Jessica Schimpf. The world isn't looking for you, she says, you have to go out and find it. She recounts how she left a big-time welding gig to follow her dreams. In Texas, the team interviews Austinites on the street and goes for beignets and palm readings in New Orleans before hitting crowd-powered T-shirt purveyor Threadless in Chicago.

In Chicago, the team meets exhibition designer Olivia Castellini, a physics Ph.D. whose job combines her varied interests in science and the arts. In NYC, unstoppable inventor-turned-entrepreneur Ben Kaufman recounts flying to China to make his first product before he had even graduated from high school and shares why it's important to strike the right balance between jerk and pushover.

The trip ends in NYC as the team meets designer Tina Roth Eisenberg, who left her tiny village in Switzerland to find her people in New York. Last up, Helvetica director Gary Hustwit shares the philosophy that connects all design: moving things forward. Though the road-trippers' forward movement on the Green RV ends here, nothing about what they've learned on this journey is over.

Unsure what to do with their lives and seeking wisdom from others, a team of young adults sets off on a cross-country road trip to interview professionals in diverse careers who can provide insight into building a fulfilling life. Ed, a recent college graduate from the small town of Colchester, England, is stagnating in a dead-end job and living with his parents. Determined to branch out, he hopes this trip will give him the confidence to pursue broader possibilities.

The road-trippers' search for wisdom continues in San Francisco, where they interview Roy Remer, a volunteer coordinator at the Zen Hospice Project, who uses Buddhist principles to serve the emotional needs of the terminally ill. Roy reflects on the difficulty of letting go, and encourages the road-trippers to practice saying goodbye to the various stages of life in order to grow into the next version of themselves. Next, the road-trippers talk the importance of self-reflection with Omar Cardenas, a youth organizer for the Children's Defense Fund.

The road-trippers meander through the South, eventually stopping in New Orleans, where they interview a range of individuals, including a chef, a graphic designer, and a veterinarian at a chimpanzee sanctuary. Later, on an airboat tour through the swamps of Lafitte, the team is surprised to learn that their boat operator is also an alligator wrestler whose involvement with the sport is rooted in a Native American tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Next, the road-trippers make the drive up to St. Louis, Missouri, where they participate in a Zombie Fun Run.

Halfway through the journey, we find the road-trippers in Washington D.C., where they interview Brittan Heller, a human rights attorney. Brittan explains her "connect-the-dots" approach to career-building, which starts off with knowing what you're passionate about and taking small steps grounded in conviction. This philosophy resonates with Ed, who realizes that every experience has the potential to shape him, regardless of whether he knows his final destination.

In New York City, the 36-foot RV squeezes through the city's narrow streets, but the team miraculously finds a parking spot. Leaving behind their goliath transportation for a few hours, the road-trippers opt for a new method of travel: the subway. As they explore the city, Manhattan seems larger than life to Ed, whose small-town upbringing in England has never brought him face-to-face with a bustling American city. After taking in the sights, the road-trippers meet Staceyann Chin, a spoken-word artist and LGBT rights activist.