Ariel Waldman currently sits on the council for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program, which aims to nurture radical, science-fiction-inspired ideas that could transform future space missions. She is also the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory for citizen scientist participation in space exploration, and is the global director of Science Hack Day — a grassroots science prototyping initiative that takes place in more than 25 countries. Waldman was recognized by the Obama administration in 2013 as a Champion of Change in Citizen Science.