Graduate Student
Country of Birth: USA
Educational Background: MS Physics, BS Chemistry, Hampton University, USA
Who or what inspired you to work in science/engineering?Who: Fifth-grade earth science and high school chemistry teachers
What: "Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series
What are the primary responsibilities of your current job?I'm a physics doctoral student at Hampton University with a concentration in optics and specializing in solid-state spectroscopy. My research involves both the material synthesis and spectroscopic studies of rare-earth iondoped solid-state halide crystals for eye-safe and optical communication laser applications. This research is inter-disciplinary, using material science engineering techniques for the laser crystal fabrication and optical physics for spectroscopic analysis.
Do you have advice for young women considering a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)?My advice to young girls who are considering a career in STEM is to not only to consider a career, but to learn more about the diverse applications of the STEM field studies. The majors related to the STEM fields are fundamental to the advancement of civilization. The knowledge of the STEM fields is an invaluable skill set to have navigating within such a
technologically incorporated society, where quarterly consumer demand prediction models will intermingle with organic synthetic textile design chemistry, and civil engineering ideas are implemented within molecular biostructures. My advice is to ultimately embrace the STEM fields as the interdisciplinary background music of scientific discovery.
