"Weathering Crisis: Marcia McNutt on James Madison, Climate, and Citizen Science"—A Useful Knowledge Bonus Episode

He’s best remembered as a Founding Father, but did you know that James Madison also helped establish meteorology in the United States? From his observations of weather conditions and crop cycles to notes on the wheat-destroying Hessian fly, Madison’s records speak to the potential and limits of collective scientific work. In this episode of Useful Knowledge, hear from geophysicist and current National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt about “citizen science” and modern scientific networks. 

This bonus episode features Marcia McNutt (APS 2002) in discussion with Useful Knowledge host Patrick Spero at a public lecture held on April 30, 2026, at the American Philosophical Society. This episode is part of “America's Scientific Revolutionaries,” a two-year initiative generously supported by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation.