Discussion Panel: Navigating Your Career
Discussion Panel: Navigating Your Career
Discussion Panel Focuses on Getting from Here to There
So, you’ve decided to go somewhere you’ve never been before. Before you get started on the trip, perhaps you should try to learn all you can about the area—read up on it, talk with people who’ve been there, learn from others who have made the same journey. Now that you’re prepared, you have a much better idea of where you’re headed, and what to expect when you get there.
These same techniques can be applied to getting where you want to go in your work life. A discussion panel entitled "Navigating Your Career" provided WIST participants with personal experiences and practical advice on finding a niche in science, and featured women professionals from academia, industry, and national laboratory research.
Dr. Marilyn Brown, who served as the panel moderator, is the Deputy Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program, an applied R&D program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate the development and deployment of sustainable energy technologies. She described her career path as one of merging science and technology, with a particular interest in applying the sciences to societal problems.
Prior to coming to ORNL in 1984, Brown was an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Illinois. She has a Ph.D. in geography from the Ohio State University and a master’s degree in resource planning from the University of Massachusetts.
Her research at ORNL has examined issues surrounding the commercialization of new energy and environmental technologies and frameworks and methods to evaluate the impacts of government programs. She has authored more than 130 publications and has received awards for her research from the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the Association of American Geographers, the Technology Transfer Society, and the Association of Women in Science.
Dr. Ganelle Grace, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University, arrived at her career niche after realizing that she wouldn’t make a good lawyer—the liberal arts courses she majored in during her first three years of college bored her stiff, she said! After researching other fields, she decided to go for another undergraduate degree, this time in industrial engineering.
"I truly loved it, and wanted to pursue my master’s degree in industrial engineering. I had lots of ‘naysayers,’ but I set out to prove them wrong, and I did," she said.
After graduation, she took what she described as "grueling" jobs with RPS (a competitor of United Parcel Service) and Duracell Batteries as a production engineer/supervisor, often working 16-hour days. One nine-week stretch had her working with no weekends off, she said. Grace said she enjoyed it, learned to do a variety of tasks, and made "piles of money," but had very little time off. She decided at that time to pursue her Ph.D., with the long-range goal of returning to North Carolina A&T State University to teach and be a role model and mentor. The "naysayers" appeared again.
Bolstered by encouragement from her parents and sisters, Grace began a tough, three-year Ph.D. program in industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech.
"I was the only black female, and I felt like all eyes were watching me," she said. "I commuted 2-1/2 hours twice a week and studied hard, averaging 10-12 hours a day." When Grace graduated, she was part of a group of only 12 African American industrial engineering Ph.D.s in the country.
Grace said that all the sacrifice and hard work has definitely been worth it. She encouraged the students to pursue their dreams, and to not be derailed by hard work, sacrifice, and, in particular, "those who say you can’t do it."
"You can do it," Grace said, "and you’ll be glad you did."
Dr. Elizabeth Dupree Ellis is Associate Director and Leader, Epidemiology Support Section, Center for Epidemiological Research, at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). Ellis’ work centers on the study of diseases in human populations.
In her presentation, Ellis addressed a question that seemed to be on the minds of many of the young women in the audience: how do you combine a career in the sciences with raising a family?
As she described the academic and work path that led her to her current position, Ellis made it clear to the students that it is very possible to have both a stimulating career and a family. In fact, Ellis worked on her Ph.D. in epidemiology for several years—and completed it long distance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—while working at ORAU and raising two children.
Prior to joining ORAU, Ellis held positions as a marine biologist at the University of Florida and as a research assistant at the Institute for Cancer Research in Philadelphia. She spent a summer apiece in the Volunteers in Mission in San Francisco and at the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration, a forerunner of the Department of Energy. Ellis is the recipient of the American Statistical Association Fellowship and the National Research Service Award.
"I really believe that you can mesh work, study, and family," Ellis said. She added that it isn’t easy, but it can be done if you persevere. "I graduated from college in 1969, but I didn’t complete my Ph.D. until 1989." In addition to a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Duke University, Ellis holds a master’s in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University.
Ellis also encouraged the students to seek monetary grants to help them complete their education and fund their research, and to respect and learn from their coworkers. "I’ve learned so much from the people I work with. Everyone has something to contribute—be sure to learn from others throughout your career."
Dr. Kathi Alexander is Group Leader of the Microscopy and Microanalytical Sciences Group at ORNL, where she is involved in the study of engineering materials. Part of her presentation focused on an issue that affects many students—how to pay for higher education.
As the oldest of nine children, Alexander explained that it was important for her to find as many education funding opportunities as she could. Her hard work paid off, and she received 10 scholarships! Alexander earned her Ph.D. at Carnegie-Mellon University, and was named a 1985 NATO Postdoctoral Research Fellow to perform research at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. She joined ORNL in 1987.
Alexander encouraged the students to make the most of the experiences that present themselves.
"Take advantage of all the opportunities that come your way," she advised. "Many times, people have more confidence in you than you do yourself. Be yourself, and express yourself. Your abilities will speak for themselves."
Alexander is also one who combines a scientific career and family. Based on her experiences, she encouraged the students to "take advantage of the time you have while you are young." Family time and commitments will creep in, she added.
In 1997, Alexander was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce for her research and education outreach efforts. She has co-authored over 100 technical publications as well as several patents.