Jon Swift: Making Friends with the Cosmos

Jon Swift: Making Friends with the Cosmos

July 29, 2026 · 1h 28m · Season 8 · Episode 3

About this episode

Jon Swift, an astrophysicist and surfer, shares his transformative experiences under the stars and how they influenced his life path.

Has something astronomical ever made you reassess your life's trajectory? Jon Swift is an astrophysicist and lifelong surfer with a PhD from UC Berkeley. He runs a research observatory at The Thatcher School in Ojai, California, teaches math and science, and his music has featured in cult surf films from the 2000s, like Shelter and The Drifter. Jon shares his story of living alone in Mexico after finishing a physics degree, and the cosmic event under a desert sky that lit his path forward.&nb...

People in this episode

Hosts: Lauren L. Hill, Dave Rastovich

Guest: Jon Swift

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UC Berkeley

Books & works: Shelter, The Drifter

Places: Ojai, California

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