could ever imagine in a part-time job. Being But, I work with people across time zones and What advice do you have for young girls who
able to code opened up a whole new world geographies, so being able to communicate seek a career in math and science?
for me. remotely is a skill I’ve been developing over
I moved over to the computer science
department and began working with another
open-minded professor who entrusted me to
work on a coding project involving biology,
I think creating a network around you is one of
the past 20 years that has helped me succeed
the most important things you can do. I lucked
in the job.
into relationships with professors who had a
profound impact on my life, and proved that
What is your favorite aspect of your job?
strong relationships can take you places. So,
Lyme disease, and public health. And there I I feel very fortunate that almost every day on my advice would be to find the time to make
found my niche, applying my coding skills in my job, I encounter something that blows me your own network, because it pays enormous
science projects. away. I work in an environment where play and dividends.
creativity are encouraged. The fact that I can
When I started to look for jobs after URI, I take the time to follow a path that has no clear Social media can really help too. Social media
found an opening for a NASA space-based endpoint but may lead somewhere that will can be a negative force, but there is a pocket
mission. I sent an email to the person who have a benefit for the mission is an absolute of support online for women in STEM that I
would ultimately hire me, along with the privilege. For someone with my personality have found very useful, and has allowed me to
public health product I had worked on at URI, type, that sort of open exploration is very connect with other researchers and students
and she loved it and encouraged me to apply. important. whom I really enjoy and learn from. I encourage
We hit it off, I was hired, and 21 years later,
girls to get online — either on Twitter or
I’m still doing it. It was a combination of A recent example of how that has borne Instagram — and find like-minded communities.
having a well-rounded skillset and also the fruit is a project I’m working on with Brown My other advice would be that it’s okay not to
good luck that there happened to a position University. I had overseen an exciting initiative follow a strictly linear path, but to follow your
opening up with a NASA mission. — the first-ever 3-D printing of a supernova
remnant — but bringing that to a wider
What is a typical workday like for you?
The nature of my job has changed a great
deal over the years. Sometimes, I feel like a
bumblebee, flying between different flowers
for pollination purposes, and never sitting still.
I travel quite a bit, so those days aren’t typical.
When I am not traveling, I am usually sitting in
front of a computer. I still write code and work
with images, but at least half my time is spent
on emails and talking on phone. You wouldn’t
necessarily think that math and science jobs
can be so heavily invested in communications.
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audience was difficult, since it’s very time-
and budget-consuming to produce, so I had
been thinking about what other emerging
technologies we could use to create these
representations. As it happened, I have been
mentoring students throughout my career, and
I was with a group of Providence high school
students at Brown University’s YURT (Yurt
Ultimate Reality Theatre), a virtual reality lab
created and maintained by the University’s
Center for Computation and Visualization. We
were invited into their 360-degree space to
walk on Mars. I had seen data from Mars over
the years, but I had never been able to step on
another planet. It was an extremely powerful
experience, just tremendously moving for me.
I spoke to the lab leader and asked if he
would be interested in representing our 3-D
representation of a dead star in the YURT. He
agreed, and we worked to translate the data
so it could be displayed in virtual reality in the
YURT. This collaboration has made it possible
for astronomers, astrophysicists, space
passions and interests wherever they might
lead. I work with a very eclectic staff of people
who come from many different backgrounds,
and for me that mixed bag of skills creates
something really special. So, diversify yourself.
You don’t have to cut out things you’re
passionate about just because you think there
won’t be value in it down the road.
See Kimberly speak Friday, 11/1 at
#OSHEANCon19!
enthusiasts, and the simply curious to
experience what it’s like to be inside a star
that exploded far, far away.
Stronger Together
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