Archive for June 10th, 2009
My Scientific American column, “Where Are They Now?” continues to run, profiling former finalists in the Westinghouse and Intel Science Talent Searches.
A few interesting recent ones:
Helen Wiersma: Fighting Weeds — And Mental Illness
This remarkable young Stanford biochemist is pursuing her PhD while battling severe bipolar disorder. She’s determined to treat it like any other chronic illness — no reason to limit your dreams!
Joe Buff: A Lifelong Interest in the Navy Comes Full Circle
Buff now writes edge-of-your-seat submarine thriller novels — a bit of a career change after 20 years as an actuary.
Katharine Duderstadt: From the Peace Corps to a PhD
This physics teacher’s story has an interesting side point — if you have a science PhD, it might be more possible to re-enter the workforce after a stint as a stay-at-home mom than it is with other careers.
Laura Vanderkam is the author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think (Portfolio, 2010) and Grindhopping: Build a Rewarding Career without Paying Your Dues (McGraw-Hill, 2007). She is a member of USA Today's Board of Contributors, and her work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Scientific American, Wired, The American, Portfolio and other publications.
Write to her at lvanderkam at yahoo dot com.