21stcentgal-blog

[21stcentgal-blog]

Can student debt be avoided?

I went for a run today through my current neighborhood of Pasadena/San Marino. I don't live in the best location (a 2 bed/1 bath apartment), but on my run of 2.23 miles I see so many amazing homes with sprawling lawns, fountains, flora of all kind, and luxury cars in the driveway. I wonder if someday I could afford that lifestyle. I'm a rare breed in that my parents saved and saved since before I was born so that I could attend a state school and not have to take out a single loan. As an upper-middle class daughter, I was lucky. Many of my friends are graduating college with thousands of dollars in debt with little hope of finding a well-paid job because either their parents never saved for them, cut them off after high school, or cannot afford the cost of college. We've all heard this story (and the debate) concerning all these students who are in debt. The question I pose is: Is there a way to complete college in a timely manner without falling into too much debt, and, upon graduation, get hired for a well-paid job to pay back the bank? I think there is a way, but it involves hard work and perseverance (and asking for help). I find that my friends who are still in debt and without a job pertaining to their major didn't take risks. They kept their job at Hollister even though they were a Spanish major who wanted to teach or kept their job as a valet even though they wanted to own a business, while partaking in little (if any) on-campus organizations. I applied to 22 internships and research programs (called REUs) as a sophomore, and only got my 23rd option of researching at my university. In order to afford living in southern California over the summer I lifeguarded, taught swim lessons, and worked as a councilor at a math and science camp on my campus. I WAS REJECTED BY EVERYONE OUTSIDE MY UNIVERSITY. I feel like at this point many students quit- applying to internships is difficult and time consuming. The next year, my junior year, I applied to 21 internships and REUs and got into ONE. This ONE would change my career path, help me learn about the real world, and motivate me to keep on taking advantage of opportunities. All it took was 42 rejections- or risks I took. Besides taking risks, you must say YES YES YES! Would you like to volunteer? YES. Would you like to work on this project? YES. Would you like to be an officer in this club? YES YES YES! I started a club at my university as a sophomore and junior that received an "Outstanding Chapter Award" my senior year. I said YES to taking 19 units AND interning at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab AND working on my honors thesis project. I said YES to going to parties and networking with other students at my universities who ended up going to many countries and companies. I said YES to giving research presentations at Caltech, USC, Stanford, and Physcon 2012 in Florida in addition to the countless times at my own university. If you are shy like I was (notice I say WAS), opportunities that scare you the most are the most worthwhile. As a freshman I could have never seen myself, as confident as I am, presenting my research to a Boeing representative with enthusiasm (which ended up landing me a job after graduation... might I add). You might be wondering how to apply and do internships, and say yes to clubs and parties and presentations, while maintaining great grades. All I have to say to that is.. GRADES DON'T MATTER. Unless you're trying to attend a crazy-insane graduate school like MIT or Caltech or Oxford or Cambridge, maintaining a 4.0 is not something to lose sleep over. I even got a "conditional acceptance" to Cambridge, but was denied after they saw I earned 0.05 points lower than their GPA requirement (I got a 3.45 instead of 3.5, BIG EFFING DEAL). University of California, Irvine did not seem to matter I was a little below their requirement- they accepted me in a heartbeat due to all my research experience (that caused me to get slightly lower grades). As a scientist or engineer, grades should not matter to you as much as research. That doesn't mean flunk out.. that means don't be afraid to let your GPA slide a couple points if you have an opportunity for a REALLY AWESOME internship that will teach you MORE than any course you will ever take as an undergraduate. If you work your butt off doing what you love and not stressing over classes, when you graduate you will feel like you have conquered the world with no regrets. If a university you wanted to go to denies you, that's their loss. (You heard me Cambridge, it's YOUR loss that you didn't accept me! And even if you did, I'd rather live in sunny California and attend UCI fully funded than pay SO MUCH MONEY for your 12th century facilities!) Hard work and perseverance. It can be tough, but if you want to pay back your loans- DO IT, PERSEVERE. Companies hire students out of college who have (1) interned for them already, (2) have completed projects pertaining to the company's specific field, (3) have attended career fairs and approached the company well prepared with resume in hand, and/or (4) networked with employees. 1 is the easiest way, but it is difficult for your application to be noticed unless you've done 4. 2 is very possible to do while you're in high school and college. 3 you can usually complete at your university, or through professional societies. 4 can be done anywhere from a research presentation at a conference to a bar encounter.  Students need to quit whining about their debt. Even though I didn't really have to worry about money through college, I held a job from my sophomore to senior year in addition to internships and scholarships. What I found was that even at a state school there are WORLDS of opportunity as a student- all you need to do is seek them out and spend the time looking, researching career paths, and applying. I'm about to start interning at Boeing, and heard that I can get my entire PhD paid for by continuing work with them (and they pay REALLY WELL). After 5 years of living in dorms and crappy apartments and 5 more years of most likely similar accommodations, I will want a home with a nice lawn like those in Pasadena. I took having a dish washer and laundry machines inside my place of residence for granted growing up. Perhaps I will be able to afford that lifestyle one day. Despite this yearning, I know I can live with less and use my money to help those students afford college like I could, or invest in gardens for those without access to healthy food in the inner city, or donate to fund medical research, or start a new summer camp in the Sierras for children who do not understand the peace that wilderness brings to one's soul. That's the end of my rant, but there is one thing I have left to say... I feel so lucky (even though I know it was my hard work and perseverance that got me where I am). As a woman in science, mathematics, and engineering, I have to pause and reflect on all the women who have come before me and cleared my path to the success I have today. It has been such a long struggle, with even further to go, but I am grateful for the opportunities I have had. Thank you. As one of the very few STEM educated females in the world, I hope to continue advocating for equality of all people for the betterment of humanity.

[21stcentgal-blog]

"So far, we've found three hundred genes for mental retardation and zero genes for above-average intelligence."

This is great! YES YES YES!

[21stcentgal-blog]

NASA video contest

http://spacecoalition.com/benefits-of-space/why-space-matters NASA has a video contest where you can submit a 1-2 minute video on "why space matters" and "the benefits of space", and based on the numbers of views you get and the panel of judges, you could win a trip to a visitors' center somewhere. Cool, right? I want to enter, but there are SO MANY reasons why space matters, I don't know where to begin or how to capture the reasons in the best way. If the length requirement of the video was increased to an hour, maybe I'd have enough time to list all the benefits. Here are some of the reasons why I think human space-flight and exploration is beneficial for all life on Earth:

1. To inspire other humans to be better people. Going to space takes a team and the support of a larger community, whether it's NASA or SpaceX or whoever. When people see others doing cool things, they think "I want to do that too!" There is a lot of negativity in the world we create for ourselves. Just in American culture, people are put down for immutable characteristics, and feel unworthy of success, happiness, friends, etc. Emphasis on space exploration and STEM brings about a whole different set of values- intelligence, skills, creativity. When those values are put toward a selfless purpose, positivity emanates. Space exploration can be a selfish endeavor, but many, if not all, of those that have gone to space have broadened their perspective of Earth, and realize the preciousness of life. Who doesn't want more love in the world? This is going to take way too long, so I'll post the other reasons later.

[21stcentgal-blog]

Struggles in Planning Ahead

I thought I was all set in January and early February. Secured an internship at NASA JPL, enrolled in 1 unit at a university to legalize the internship, and was accepted for the PhD program at UC Irvine. Now it is basically March, and I am still waiting to get the call in to work at JPL (darn paperwork and logistics- I just want to do SCIENCE!).

Then, something amazing happened.

In August I exchanged business cards with an employee at Boeing, and then sent him my resume. We emailed back a forth a few times, but as August turned to September, October, November, December, I really did not think I would ever hear back. Last week I woke up to my ringing phone- a number from El Segundo. I answered it since I have some friends there, and soon found I was practically being interviewed in my half-asleep state. They told me they'd call back, so I figured I did ok. Yesterday, I got the call back, and learned that I could possibly work part-time at Boeing over the summer. HALL-A-LU-YA! I'm so excited! My world has become a mess of uncertainty (once again) upon learning I have the opportunity to work at Boeing this summer. I really enjoy JPL, and have so much more room to network, learn things, discover science, and personal growth there, so it is a tough decision to leave. I wish I could have had more time in the new lab that I haven't even started in yet. By now I could have learned the ropes and been productive. I'm afraid I won't have time to fully envelope myself in the research (which takes about 3 months from my experience, but possibly less if I'm there more often per week). Do I intern at JPL til June, and then start at Boeing for just the summer? Will my experience at Boeing make me want to just complete a MS instead of a PhD? Will I enjoy Boeing over NASA? Should I stay at JPL over summer and immerse myself in that research? I think I should work at JPL until June, and then Boeing (if it works out) from June until grad school starts (September?). Perhaps I can intern at Boeing as a graduate student. All in all, I need to learn from my mistakes and not bite off more than I can chew... No more multiple research projects in addition to work and classes, although, sometimes I think I'll end up there all over again...

[21stcentgal-blog]

Jane Goodall- my role model.

[21stcentgal-blog]

Looking Up- Role Models in a Changing World

(Note: For the short version, read the BOLD writing.)

  I've always struggled with having a Role Model, or even a Hero. In grade school the teacher would have us write essays about these prominent figures we looked up to; I never knew who to list. My mom/dad? Sally Ride? Grandma/Grandpa? Neil Armstrong? Martin Luther King Jr.? Nobody summed up what I wanted to do AND who I wanted to emulate. Nobody took the path I wanted to take with the beliefs that I believe. Looking back, I see the purpose of our teachers, mentors, and parents asking "what we want to be when we grow up" or "who our heroes are." Not only do these questions investigate the personality and interest of the person being addressed, but they also can lead to "helpful" conversations about one's future. Being asked this at every family event ingrained in my innocent mind that I HAD to pick something. I had to choose what I wanted to be in order to move on through life toward that goal. This never helped me. The path to choosing my career began with two interests. Science- because I was good at it and my parents were science oriented, and Music- because I enjoyed playing and listening to music, and was good at it through practice. After "discovering" acoustics, I chose physics as a major in college. This starts a whole different misconception. Knowing your major does NOT mean you know what career choice you want or what you want to work towards. I was, once again, trying to figure out role models and heroes and what job I want to have. Turns out the answer to "What jobs can you have as a physicist?" is "ANYTHING YOU DARN WELL PLEASE" as long as you have some related experience. So I picked up a couple of internships and went from there... My brother is not only the closest person to be genetically, we are also close in interests and beliefs and what-not. We read "The Foundation" by Isaac Asimov and found the concept of psychohistory VERY intriguing. Predicting the future of galactic civilizations- I THINK YES! Even more astounding was the concept that [SPOILER ALERT] a civilization so advanced with space-travel and such resorts BACK to fossil fuels and coal as a power source, but, because of The Foundation, science is preserved because it becomes a religion (holy food that cures cancer, hovering thrones, priests that are actually nuclear engineers, etc.). SCIENCE BECOMES RELIGION. holy crap. That's what I thought of when trying to find a way to adapt science into society (but I have a problem with it since scientific knowledge is always evolving, while religion is pretty much stagnant...). But I diverge... My brother and I have had many philosophical and scientific discussions. It is from these discussions that I figured out what I want to do with my life!!! With no hero, no role model, I figured out I want to solve the world's energy issue. The energy issue is so pervasive and expansive that I can't do this all by myself. Over 80% of our energy comes from cheap, but polluting, fossil fuels. We use TOO MUCH of it. Our air is smoggy, our oceans are dirty, our climate is changing, and it will ONLY GET WORSE. Pollution=polluted people with more health/mental problems and shorter life expectancies. IT IS SCARY! That's only part of the issue, unfortunately.

So, the oil corporations know the harm that excessive use of oil and coal and natural gas, but they are profit-driven, as any business should be. They just see the $$ at the end of the tunnel, not the destroyed environment that harms US (the U.S. and us, the people of the world). Oil corporations are very difficult to be regulated by the government because of shitty, uninformed, or just plain corrupt politicians. The government won't even invest $$ in enough research and development to fund alternative energy technology. On top of the environment, standard of living, government, and economics, there's a war going on in the middle east, but not in Africa. I'm not saying, the USA should go to war in Africa. I'm saying, the USA in the middle east because the USA is a stakeholder of that area. Africa has it's own share of slavery, war, genocide, oppression, etc., but the USA is not solving those conflicts because SAND is not a cost-effective export from that area (NOTE: I know Africa has a lot more to offer than sand, but bear with my hyperbole.). Ok, so let's list the impact of the energy issue now... environment, government, economics, war. What else could it affect? What else is there to affect on this planet? All in all, this whole oil business is harming mankind and all life, not the planet itself. Alternative energies are the silver lining on the energy consumption cloud (I don't even know if that makes sense.)

Unfortunately, many efforts toward "alternative" energies bring about their own evils. Some companies (*cough*like*Shell*cough*) are enlisting the help of corrupt governments with poor people to tear down their own rainforests to plant fields of corn, sugar cane, or whatever to make biofuels. I watched about 30 minutes of this hour-long propaganda-documentary on biofuels' "benefits" with about 15 of those minutes filled with commercials from none-other-than Shell. I wonder who paid for that "informative" documentary. UGH. EFF BIOFUELS made from crops. I do have hope for those made from algae though... but too much algae harvesting would affect our oxygen levels (eek). Even my research on fuel cells could bring forth technology that can cause more harm than good. Fuel cells, and other technologies that require catalysis (like ANY CAR YOU COULD EVER BUY), use platinum. Most platinum comes from Africa- oh hey! Didn't we talk about Africa's problems earlier?? In case you were watching Honey Boo Boo or some ghost hunting crap over the summer, riots took place in South Africa's platinum mines when workers protested for fair wages, but were shot down like fish in a barrel. Hello, violation of fundamental human rights. So even clean energy can be harmful. Surprise! _________________________________________

THE BOTTOM LINE __________________________________________

I will research clean energy that does the least harm for the least amount of people to put an end to all of this evil. It will take everything in me to not get burned out, and I need a LOT of help. I also want to promote science education and outreach, and advocate for these clean technologies. If I just develop these technologies, I need to be sure that our government won't lock away my experiment, or withhold information that can benefit the world. I have hope that there will be a drastic change in my lifetime. Just last week I found my role model. I've always heard about her in random places, but then I saw her TED talk. HOLY MOLY. Please watch. Jane Goodall is my hero, role model, and one of my favorite people. http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_goodall_on_what_separates_us_from_the_apes.html Jane Goodall started the organization Roots and Shoots to help kids help the environment, and I want to get involved. I wish I were a young girl scout, as that would really support projects, but this is amazing for anyone of any age.

http://rootsandshoots.org/

(NOTE: If you know Jane Goodall, can you please get me in contact with her??!? It would be a dream to chat with her.)

Jane Goodall went into the jungles, observed the primates, and returned to the world with the motivation to end all of this selfish destruction. I have barely been to the laboratory (my jungle), but I am sick and tired of being sick and tired because I am a poor student, unhealthy from the stresses, "food," and lazy lifestyle that many of my peers suffer from. I am tired of hearing about depressed people, and suffering with them. Life expectancy is shortening, while more and more information is available on how to live a healthy life (just look it up online!). I apologize for this rant, but I wish more people CARED. I wish people took their passion, and put it toward benefiting the world. Art, architecture, music, science, history, religion, brewing, crafting, law, politics, accounting, house-keeping, managing, bar-tending, sports, singing, engineering, and every single job out there can be done WELL, HELPFULLY, and MORALLY (unless you're a theif or human trafficker or something). It is ridiculous how greed penetrates society at every level. People want, but don't think. If people thought before they acted, we would all have a higher standard of living, be able to take vacations on Mars, be able to follow our passions, be able to do what we want- if what we wanted was not an act of greed. But people just aren't like that. During the movie "Django" I ate chocolate that was manufactured by a company that gets its cacao plants from regions in Africa that enslave children workers. I liked the movie, but the vivid depictions of enslaved people made me feel guilty about how I spent that evening. Not only did I eat that chocolate, but I bought it from Walmart, where I drove my gas-guzzling car, using my iphone's GPS system. Even me, a person who wants to use my skills to help the world, harms it through my day-to-day actions. On a limited budget, it is difficult to make smart decisions, but it is possible. Where I live, it is so difficult to live a harmless lifestyle. I, at least, need to try my best. Next Valentines Day I'll ask for Fair-Trade chocolates.

[21stcentgal-blog]

SPACE Conference Reporting

This is a feminist vent.

FACT: There are VERY few women in physics, engineering, and science compared to men.

FACT: I am a female physicist.

FACT: I have been hit on/asked out on a date DURING a poster presentation of my research (and know others who have come across this).

FACT: I have been spoken down to or refused a conversation multiple times at conferences and exhibitions.

OPINON: People see me as a young woman, a girl, a child, and do not take me seriously.

My own father makes snide remarks about me being a little girl in science DESPITE his encouragement and scientific career. I get it, I will always be "his little girl," but sometimes I need a conversation on an adult level. After all, I have been living on my own for about 4.5 years, and I have my B.S. in physics. You would think THAT would give me credit as an adult. Let me get to what I am talking about now...

I replied to a request for students to report on conferences. The request was sent by a physics society. My eager reply was enthusiastic as I explained that I would be exhibiting a booth for NASA and filming a tour of an aircraft, and if my report should include that experience. The reply stated that that would be great. YAY! I was excited for the opportunity to report *cough*resumebuilder*cough*.

I then got a reply from the editor from the physics society magazine that I will callPhysSociety Magfor anonymity purposes. The editor asked if I would be interested in writing a WHOLE ARTICLE for the magazine! I said YES!!!!!! *cough*resumebuilder*cough*.

Recently I received a reply about what the article was to be about. Me and another girl I will call Sarah are to write an article together (awwwww.. so cute! I love group projects...*sarcasm*). Read the following email I received:

We've decided that our winter issue is going to be devoted to the topic of women in physics. Would the two of you be up for working together at the meeting to write a reflection on the meeting from the perspective of a female student? This could take multiple forms -- perhaps a dialogue between the two of you about how women fit into this meeting or a interview of a famous female scientist or a collection of thoughts from other female students you meet or a description of a session on women and minorities at 10 am on Monday in room 102A. Before I commit you to any of these, do you have any thoughts about what other female students in astronomy might find interesting? We have space for about 700 words in the magazine, with room for a couple of photos as well.

So, first thing I think of... "what do female students in astronomy find interesting..." How about black holes, supernova, galaxies, star formation, cosmological expansion, dark energy, telescopes, .....

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't the statement to write about "how women fit into this meeting..." a little .... SEXIST. How wefitin? UHM, let me think- we fit in as scientists and educators with VAGINAS??!? I really don't like the phraseology he used to write this request.

I'm not usually such a feminist, but I've been to a couple of Women in Physics conferences and experienced some sexism, and I know that there are issues with women in physics. I don't think the solution will come from writing the female perspective on this astronomy conference. I don't even know how to write in any way BUT my perspective- which is female I guess because I am female. But not all females write the same. Does the hispanic society have students write about the "hispanic perspective," or the disabled society have people write about "the disabled perpective"?? Am I supposed to comment about the scents of soaps in the ladies' room?!? Or, judge the fashion at the meeting?!? [I actually think some people would be interested in the fashion, but I am in NO way shape or form a fashion guru.]

THE SOLUTION:

I feel like the solution to all of this is to BLATANTLY not write about whatever bullsheet the "female perspective" means to this editor, but to interview both female and male scientists about how they got their success, interview students about mentoring and if they want mentors, and use the article to address an issue I feel strongly about- setting up a mentor program within this physics society.

The problem with so few women in physics is not going to be solved unless more women decide to be physicists! Heck, I didn't even know what a physicist was when I decided to study it. I just liked science and math and was interested in acoustics because I am a musician too. If more females are physicists they can be role models for girls around the world. All the role models in mainstream science are men (Bill Nye, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, Carl Sagan, etc.). Where are all the women?!?

The we can look at Nobel Laureates in physics and chemistry and medicine- WHERE ARE ALL THE WOMEN?

Technically, a woman discovered the structure of DNA, quasars, and explored radioactivity. But Marie Curie is pretty well recognized I guess. But the others were hardly given credit until recent years. WHAT IS THE DEAL?!?

So I think a mentor program would help both male AND female students feel like they "fit in" science. Teaming students up with mentors is the solution to getting more females in science, and getting more females to be recognized for their contributions.

[21stcentgal-blog]

NASA Conference in PJs

Funny how you can wear whatever you want during a teleconference.

PJs on, stumble to kitchen, check my phone clock- almost 10am! Get out pan, eggs, sausage, pam, and start burner. Dial the number. Listen in as I fry two eggs and linguica sausages. Yum! I picture my coworkers in their business casual around a coffee table on the other end of the line as they discuss logistics. I have my mic on mute so they can't hear the sizzle of breakfast on my end.

I hear my name being called, turn off mute, and I say "Yes I'm here, I will be there, sounds good! See you Sunday." in a light-hearted tone.

I continued eating my scrumptious breakfast. My fried eggs turned out nicely, in case you wondered. Of course, I'm adding that conference to my timesheet.

[21stcentgal-blog]

[Dis]organization

I am a disorganized person. My thoughts are scattered, my belongings are scattered, my actions are... scattered, in the sense that I go from task to task randomly throughout my day.

This could be because I have moved every 6 months in the past 3 years and have no steady organizational code or routine. It could be because for the past year I have had too much on my plate (2 research projects at 2 institutions, a full-time student schedule (19 units, and then 12 units), a part-time job, and a boyfriend). It could be because I get lazy, and some days I don't feel like doing anything. It could be because of hormone cycles, periodic sickness, or maybe a mental disorder. I DON'T KNOW. My room has always been a mess. Ever since I had a room and could walk, it was messy. There was a time period when I was 13 and went through a "Trading Spaces" phase, where I made my room look as if it were in a Target catalog and kept it clean for about 2 months. In fact, I would clean my room every spare moment I had because I was PROUD of it. It was so colorful and striped it looked more like Target vomited in my room. Makes me ill imagining the vivid colors, but it was tidy!

Anyway, I am sick of being disorganized. I want to be organized so badly, but I feel that I cannot right now. I am living in a room in a house for a month while I fill college applications, apply to jobs, and try to figure out where to move next. It's stressful. So, for now I just need to get all of the applications completed. UCSB's is due tonight!

I miss my social life.