Now that summer is in full bloom, many students are thinking about the next step. Whether it is planning off-term internships, applying to graduate school application, or arranging post-graduate jobs, these choices are important and can be overwhelming. One of the best ways to decide if a certain path is right for you is to talk to someone who has lived through it! Karen Daniels, ’94 currently pursues research as a postdoc in the physics department at Duke University. In this Alumnae Voices article, Karen describes her journey through college and graduate study. She shares her obstacles, triumphs and gives advice about sticking to your convictions!

When did science first spark your interest?
My earliest memories of it are from elementary school, where I was always on the lookout for more math and loved the kids' science show "3-2-1 Contact" on PBS.

How were you involved in science before college?
Nothing more than taking good classes in high school and reading on my own. Stephen Hawking's book "A Brief History of Time" really caught my interest when it came out.

What were your academic major(s)/minor(s) in college? How did you decide what to focus on?
I chose Dartmouth partly for the mountains and partly for the engineering school, having liked the way it encouraged students to not only study different branches of engineering, but also the liberal arts. My freshman year I signed up for the honors physics sequence (which was HARD!) and a WISP internship at Thayer, but I realized that I really liked the way physics was making me think and stuck with that as my major. Along the way, I picked up a math minor out of scattered courses in math and computer science (they were the same department then) mostly as a hobby.

I sincerely regret never taking a biology, geology, chemistry, or engineering course, but I can't imagine having given up such courses as creative writing and costume design and my LSA to do so. Ironically, I've since headed into a more engineering-like branch of physics and have picked up some of these missing science pieces along the way through more informal means. But, with a strong foundation to build on (both from physics and from Dartmouth liberal arts in general), that's been a pleasure. What science-related activities did you participate in, if any? What were they important and why?

What made you decide to pursue science as your career?
I never considered anything else, really! My extended family has more scientists than one family really needs, so it was always there. As a middle school student, I was convinced that I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my microbiologist uncle -- until I actually saw what growing microbes entailed!

During college, did you have an idea of what you wanted to do after graduation? Did your path change?
Going into academia has been a possibility since early in college -- or at least something I knew I'd like to do i f I managed to get there. But, I certainly wasn't ready to do a PhD right away even though various people (parents, professors) tried to convince me that I should. I had enjoyed various informal teaching roles at Dartmouth, at the skyway, and running physics/math study groups. And, I was eager to share my love of physics with younger students. So, I headed off to teach middle and high school physical science, physics, and astronomy in New York City at a private school. I figured I'd do it for a year and then apply to grad school.

What are you currently involved in?
I've been a postdoc in the Duke physics department for the past year. Basically this means that I pursue research, but still in a professor's research group. After another year or so, I'll hopefully get a faculty position as an assistant professor and develop my own research group in addition to getting back into the classroom.

I've studied such things as chaos, nonlinear dynamics, fluid dynamics, flows of granular materials, and statistical physics. I get to answer questions like "where do ordered patterns in nature come from, instead of just plainness or turbulence?"

How does your college career impact what you currently do?
My academic work made it possible to pursue a physics PhD, but other activities such as doing trail and cabin building work with the DOC certainly helped me on my path to building physics apparatus and working with power tools.

What's the most rewarding component of your current work?
One of my favorite aspects of my PhD research was the beauty of the chaotic patterns my experiment produced, and then finding simple explanations for why they behaved the way they did.

What do you find less fulfilling?
I hate it when the equipment appears to break all laws of introductory physics, to the point of absolute frustration and bewilderment! (This just happened again yesterday building a simple electrical circuit.)

What, if anything, surprised you about your current work?
How much fun it is to talk science with colleagues.

What were the resources you found most valuable in deciding your path and in finding jobs?
Dartmouth career services got me information and interviews about teaching at private schools, where you don't need to be certified. Applying to grad school, I found it tough to get information and just played it by ear. Visiting schools helps a lot, since grad programs all have different systems and different strengths.

Did you ever doubt your capabilities and/or knowledge in your major/career?
All the time: as long ago as the day I wrote "tork" in my intro physics notes (to the snickers of classmates) and as recently as the electrical circuit fiasco yesterday!

How did you overcome those self-doubts?
Some doubts last longer than others, and talking about them often helps. Having both physics-friends and non physics-friends helps keep perspective.

Even being around people all the time in the lab, the lack of female faces can feel lonely and lead to self-doubt. It's amazing, however, what a simple act like meeting other women for lunch or complaining about the need for a second stall in the women's bathroom can do for your morale even though it has nothing to do with physics or your ability to do physics.

If you could change anything about your career path, what would it be and why?
I can't imagine a better decision than delaying graduate school until I was more certain I wanted to be there and more ready to handle the demanding workload.