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.