Abigail Rivera Seda, Second year Ph.D. graduate student at Tufts University School of Medicine

I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I was fortunate that my family did everything they could to allow me to be in a bilingual private school. Since I can remember, I have always been an advocate and wanted my career to impact others positively. Although I didn’t know what that looked like for me, I performed very well in my STEM courses and enjoyed science fairs, science communication, and science clubs. Surprisingly, when I saw the movie “Contagion” – a thriller about a viral pandemic – I became inspired by the woman scientist who developed a vaccine that could prevent individuals from getting sick. I thought, “I want to be her. I want to do what she does”, which inspired me to major in Microbiology.

My current thesis project focuses on characterizing a protein in Clostridium difficile, an important pathogen that affects almost half a million people. It is considered one of the hardiest organisms in the world because it can form a spore that allows it to survive even after being exposed to the vacuum of space!

If you focus only on my educational or career milestones, you could say that my career path has been traditional, but when you look beyond the milestones, I’d say not quite. Before I went to college, I asked my science teacher, “How do medications and vaccines get created?” She mentioned that scientists do research to study and design them. So, I started from there. When I began my major in Microbiology at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, I was eager to get into research. I didn’t understand what research or doing research was then, but I knew it was the path to becoming a scientist. I was very bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Fortunately, sharing my interest in research with professors and asking, “How can I start?” landed me my first research opportunity at a Microbial Ecology and Genomics Lab (MEGL). I was in my undergrad lab for almost two years and was excited about the research I was doing. Unfortunately, after a category five hurricane hit the island in 2017, Puerto Ricans were in a complete blackout, and –other than struggling for basic necessities—I worried about what would be of my education. Fortunately, before the hurricane, my family had plans to work and move to Spain. Since I was halfway through college, it was not an option for me, but given the uncertainty and circumstances, I joined my family.

Two weeks after the hurricane hit the island, I was in Spain. Given the cultural shock and differences in the educational system, life seemed quite challenging. I no longer had the same enthusiasm for research; I was focused on surviving. However, I felt lucky to be allowed to enroll at the University of Malaga. During my experience in MEGL, I became interested in understanding the physiological processes in bacteria. For example, how can bacteria degrade/digest other complex biomaterials, serve as probiotics, or cause disease? This curiosity led me to major in Biochemistry with a minor in Biotechnology.

When the time came for me to graduate, I wanted to be involved in research again, and due to the financial stress my family had at the time, I needed to sustain myself. I researched and applied for post-baccalaureate programs on the East Coast in the US and was accepted in the NIH-funded Post-baccalaureate Research and Education Program (PREP) at Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences; this program is explicitly an NIH incentive to promote diversity in the biomedical sciences and provide research opportunities for minoritized groups. 

After finishing the one-year program, I am now continuing my graduate school education as a Ph.D. graduate student at Tufts in the Molecular Microbiology program, which, funny enough, is the combination of my two undergrad majors.

So, yes, you could say I followed a traditional career path –private high school, bachelor’s in science, post-baccalaureate, and now a doctorate, with no breaks in between—however, the effort behind that path was more than I could imagine.

Currently, the biggest challenge as a Ph.D. graduate student is learning to think for myself and leading my project despite the failures. It requires a lot of reading, patience, persistence, and realizing that the shortcomings in the project are unlikely because of you. 

One of the first pieces of advice I received during graduate school is that “over 90% of experiments won’t work”. However, I realize it’s an everyday challenge during graduate school since I hope to become an independent scientist by the end. On the other hand, I enjoy the flexibility of leading your project; for example, being able to read about a very cool experiment related to my topic and think, “I’m going to try that out.” I also enjoy the fact that –despite being the leader in your project—science is about collaboration. I have great colleagues willing to provide feedback and brainstorm ideas if I’m ever stuck on a question. 

We are at a time when scientists can be involved in spaces outside of a lab, and becoming an academic professor is not the only (acceptable) option. For a long time, people saw academia as the only pathway or career track to realize you are a scientist. With the advancement of technology, it is becoming more common for scientists to work in industry (e.g., pharmaceuticals, biotechnology companies, clinical labs, manufacturing companies, etc.) or become entrepreneurs.

This also opens opportunities for scientists to go into patent law, work alongside the government to develop regulations and policies for upcoming therapies or technologies, or become consultants for venture capitalists. Being a scientist no longer means being useful only in a lab; having critical thinking skills, curiosity, and the ability to identify gaps and a need in society are also helpful.

Because of all these options, I am unsure of the next steps in my career, but I am open to learning more about these different sectors and seeing the best fit for me.

Looking back on all the milestones, achievements, and experiences that I have had, I would not change anything regarding my career path, which, for me, is also evidence of a lot of personal growth and acceptance. Given my circumstances, it has been a challenging journey, but I find being a Molecular Microbiologist very fulfilling. I am currently studying a pathogen with the hopes that the knowledge that I generate will help other scientists develop therapies to help people who suffer from the disease; I am capable of reading other scientific literature that helps me understand human life and all the different organisms that share our planet; and I have the privileged to continue my career into different job markets and learn from people with a different knowledge and skill set.

If I were to advise anyone interested in becoming a scientist, it would be:  always be your authentic self. Be curious. Ask many questions. Share your goals with people, even if you don’t think they can help you, building a network is important. For example, as an undergrad, I would openly speak to professors about my interests. Additionally, I know representation matters. I was fortunate that my undergraduate institutions were Latino and Hispanic, where I saw professors who were women and people of color, so I never questioned whether people who looked like me could become scientists, which is a privilege. However, being proactive and involved in outreach and institutional or national organizations will expose you to other social groups and backgrounds. 
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For example, when I returned to the US, I learned about SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science). Their mission is to provide resources, opportunities, and incentives to undergraduate and graduate students from minoritized groups to become involved in the sciences. I’ve found that being involved in organizations like these helps me feel fulfilled and supported by people who share similar experiences. So, I hope that you can believe that even though in your current surroundings it doesn’t seem like science is for you or you don’t have a community to support you, you can trust that there are organizations and people out there who believe in you and are ready to help you in your scientific journey.

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Dr. Sandra Sanchez, Post-doc at Tufts University and future faculty at Framingham State University.

I am a Microbiologist. I earned my PhD in Biology from Indiana University Bloomington. I am currently a postdoc at Tufts University in Boston MA. I am extremely happy that I will be starting a faculty position as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Framingham State University. I will be teaching undergraduates and running a small laboratory where undergraduates can get experience in research. 

I work on an organism called Vibrio cholerae which is the bacterium that causes the disease Cholera. This disease is not in many countries that have the technology and money to clean their water. [It] is found in many developing countries but also countries that have natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes that might destroy their water filtration sites. I have been studying the connection between motility (how the organism uses its flagellum to move around the environment) and quorum sensing communication (the organism secretes little molecules into the environment so it can communicate with other of its own species). Hopefully if we learn more about how the organism communicates and moves around, we can find ways to stop it from causing disease.

I didn’t grow up knowing that a scientist was an option, but when I was introduced to that world in community college, I remember being in awe of microorganisms. They are these unseen things that are super simple cells and can do so much. They can cause horrible diseases and also are so important for plants and our planet. I just wanted to learn more about them and how they were capable of doing so much when they seemed so small. 

I don’t know if I had a role model growing up. Being an immigrant child, [my life] was a little hectic to have a role model while growing up. Once I was in my 20s, my parents became my role models. They moved countries, which sounds scary if you are doing it alone let alone with three children. They worked so hard when they got to the United States, had multiple jobs while they learned English, and [they] got settled. My father was the first in our family to attend community college; he wanted to show us that education was important, so he went to community college to take English classes and earn an associate degree in business. 

I didn’t know what graduate school was or that research was an option as a career when I was an undergraduate. I was extremely fortunate to have met two fantastic women when I started attending community college. One was my anatomy professor, and the other one was my [general biology] professor. They told me about their career path and how they both had gone on to graduate school, and that is why they have the title of doctor.  They were the ones who guided me to apply for programs that exposed me to research. 

I would suggest you get to know your professors and classmates; have conversations about what they are doing. You might find fields that you weren’t aware of, or opportunities [about which you didn’t know]. If you think you might be interested in a field, try to participate in a program; sometimes it will surprise you. When I first went back to community college, I thought I wanted to be a nurse or a doctor (MD), I applied to an internship program at the LA County Hospital and after a couple of months I realized that this was not my passion, but then I applied to a research program over the winter session and I worked in a microbiology lab and I knew I had found my path. 

I didn’t know this was going to be my path. My parents immigrated to the US when I was 11 years old, and I didn’t know anything about college or being a scientist. I graduated from high school and started to work because I needed money to take care of myself and help my family a little if I could. I was successful, I started as a receptionist and moved up to a sales rep at a software company. I had to travel for my work, and one day I was sitting on a plane and realized that I didn’t like to travel and didn’t really have a passion for my job. I wanted more. So, I started attending evening classes at my local community college. I met other students who were going for nursing, and I thought “why not.” At this college, I met the women that would change my life. I talked about this earlier, but I was taking all my classes for nursing. I took a Microbiology course and that’s when I realized I liked bacteria and science.  With help from my professors, I decided to change my major. 

[My career path] is not what is considered traditional because I didn’t go to school right after high school. I worked for a long time, and then attended a community college before figuring out what I wanted to do for my career. 

When I am teaching, I love the moment that a student gets excited about biology/science. For example, when a student can see under a microscope what a bacterium looks like; or when we are discussing something in class and a student comes up after and says, “my cousin has diabetes and now I understand why and how it happens”.  

In the lab, [there are] times you are the first person ever to try something. So, when that works out, and you know something no one else knows, it’s exciting. Mostly these are small steps, but it can help answer questions that can help us understand big concepts. 

I have people ask me medical questions because they know I am a Dr., but they think PhD is the same as a medical doctor. I also have people think that scientists are like what they see in movies, so they think I’m surrounded by expensive and weird machines. 

Science doesn’t always work the way you want, which can be great but can be frustrating. As a scientist, you get to be the first to learn something new but that comes with trials and errors as you are figuring out an experiment. 

There are a lot of options: you can work for the government, or you can work for a company that makes vaccines or medicine. You can become a professor, which is what I want to do. You can also be a writer or a science journalist. There are many options. 

​[The salary range for this field of work is] very varied. If you are a professor at a small liberal arts college or State University, it can start at $60,000 up to $100,000. If you are a professor at a [prominent] research university, such as Yale or Harvard, that mostly starts with salaries over $110,000. If you instead go into industry and work for a company performing research, then you start [at a salary] of $120,000 and can earn up to $160,000.

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1. How did you know you wanted to pursue a career in materials science?
Materials Science came to my professional career more as an opportunity rather than as a decision that I took in the first place. I was in my first year of my master’s program in chemical engineering at The University of Akron when my research advisor decided to move to the department of materials science and engineering at Texas A&M University. He offered me the opportunity to join his new research group and after some thought, I decided to take it. This was a difficult decision; by accepting this offering, I would have to move from Ohio to Texas only after a year of arriving in the US. Besides, I would have to take all my classes again for my master’s degree, this time in materials science. Despite this, there were two main reasons why I decided to leave behind chemical engineering and embark on a new journey in materials science. First, I was passionate about my research on designing coating technologies for preventing corrosion of metallic structures, and joining my advisor’s research group at Texas A&M, allowed me to continue with my research and to look at my project from a materials science perspective. The second and most important reason why I transferred to materials science was because of the mentorship, advice and support that I received from my colleagues and teachers. They gave me a high-level overview of materials science and I was fascinated by all of that. What I loved the most about materials science is how we can correlate the chemical composition and molecular structure of a material with its properties and how we can use these structure-property relationships to design materials with the desired performance. Although it was a challenge to join a master’s program in materials science coming from a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, it was one of the best decisions of my life, such that, after graduating from my master’s degree, I continue with my Ph.D. to become a materials scientist.

2. What does a day in your current role look like?  Do you get to do the hands-on lab work? 
Currently, I am a senior research specialist at Dow working in the product development team of advanced silicone elastomers. A typical day in this role involves conducting laboratory work to develop new silicone elastomer products or to enhance the performance of existing products based on business needs or as exploratory research. Besides formulating and processing these materials, I also perform laboratory testing to characterize their properties and overall performance for the desired application. Aside from my laboratory work, my role also involves designing experiments, processing and analyzing experimental data, documenting research findings and communicating results via presentations and technical discussions with colleagues.

3. What is the most difficult part of the job?
 
Dow’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. My mission as a scientist at Dow is to develop high-quality products and technologies that are aligned to our ambition. This represents a big challenge for us as scientist because it is not only a matter of creating materials in a laboratory, but to ensure that the final products will bring value to our company, to our customers, and most importantly, that they are sustainable for the people and the planet. Despite being a challenge, I must say that this mission is also the most exciting part of doing my job and the reason why I became a scientist.

4. What is your favorite part about your job?
 
My favorite part of my job is to be able to collaborate and learn from colleagues from diverse disciplines, not only from a STEM background, but also from other areas such as marketing, sales, finance, supply chain, legal, etc. Working with these multidisciplinary teams allow me to engage closely in the different stages involved during creating and commercializing a new product. Furthermore, it gives me the opportunity to challenge my critical thinking and to contribute to my team towards a common purpose of creating innovative products and solutions for our current and future customers.

5. What is a piece of advice you would give to a young girl who wants to pursue a career in STEM?
Be passionate about your career and have FUN! If you love what you do, no matter how many  obstacles, challenges and failures you will encounter in your journey, you will always be able to move forward and take these situations as learning experiences that will make you evolve, adapt, and ultimately become stronger and more confident. I also recommend that you find mentors and colleagues that can help you in your career, but keep in mind that they are just giving you guidance based on their experiences and at the end of the day, you need to create your own career path. That brings me to my next advice; don’t compare yourself to others, everyone has a different skill set and interests, instead learn how to work in teams where everyone can showcase their skills and talents. Lastly, don’t be afraid of failure, it happens more often than we imagine but the good part is that it is completely normal, and it happens to all of us, we just need to embrace our failures and learn from them.

6. Do you have any advice on how to find a research opportunity when in college?
 
First, you need to spend some time learning about the research area that you are interesting, if there are specific classes for those areas, I would also suggest that you take some of these classes, in that way, once you start connecting with professors and researchers, they can see that you already have some knowledge about the topic. It is also important that you attend events such as conferences, symposia, workshops, etc. where you will have the opportunity to meet professors and other students. I would also recommend talking to your academic advisor to learn about upcoming research events as well as research programs offered by the department or external institutions. My last recommendation is to connect and engage with professors and graduate students in the area that you are interested, they are typically looking for students to support them with their research. If they don’t have funded research projects available at the time, offer to volunteer, you will still gain research experience and they will consider you for future opportunities.

7. Is research at your company collaborative?   Do you have opportunities to publish in journals?  
 
Absolutely yes! all the products and technologies that we develop at Dow are the result of teams working together to achieve a common goal.
 
Yes! Dow offers several avenues how we can have an external presence as scientist, one of them being publishing our research work in journals. We also have other opportunities such as attending (and participating) conferences, participating in professional organizations and boards, providing seminars at universities and collaborating with external institutions (universities, national labs, etc.)
 
 
 
8.  Pursuing a degree in STEM feels daunting at times, any advice on how to navigate the stress that comes with coursework, research, etc?
 
First, it is important that you have an agenda or journal where you can manage all your projects, classes, research, etc., and their progress. Also, when designing your schedule of daily activities, don’t overload them with lots of activities that most likely you won’t be able to complete, that will only bring you stress and anxiety. Drop tasks that are not urgent or necessary and complete them in the order of importance starting with the activities with the highest priority or the ones that are causing you more stress. In planning your agenda, ensure that you are incorporating time for activities that help you releasing your stress. I would also recommend that you break down your large projects into steps, instead of defining an activity as “writing my dissertation”, you can set more specific goals such as writing a chapter or even writing a section of a chapter, in that way you will feel less overwhelm in trying to complete your entire dissertation as one activity and it will also bring you a sense of accomplishment as you are making progress. Speaking about research, keep in mind that it usually takes more time than you are expecting, so plan accordingly and give yourself enough room in case things go wrong. Also, when your research is not working and you are getting frustrated, I recommend that you stop working on those things for a few days, take a break from that work and then come back and try again. If things are still failing and you are getting more stressed, it would be better to reevaluate and perhaps change the approach or move on into something else. Lastly, make sure to connect with your classmates and colleagues from your research group, if you are feeling stress for your work load, it is possible that they feel the same way, so you can find ways together in how to help and support each other.
 
9. What was the biggest difference between research in grad school and industry?
 
Personally speaking, my research in graduate school was mainly focused on developing a mechanistic understanding of structure-property relationships that allow me to design materials with excellent performance. However, I did not pay much attention to the feasibility of making these materials at large scale as well as their final cost or repercussions to the environment when processing these materials. In industry, besides creating a fundamental understanding of our materials, it is critical to ensure that these materials that we develop at laboratory scale can be scale up to a manufacturing level and that they are cost-competitive to fit in the market. It is also essential that our materials fulfill our customer needs without compromising the future of our society and planet. 
 
10. Is it possible to invent a plastic that biodegrades in 10 years or less?  We need a material that is as durable and indestructible as plastic, but that biodegrades eventually
 
At Dow, we are committed with environmental sustainability. We are working together to make materials that can be biodegradable or that can be reused or recycled. In addition, we are also committed to reduce carbon emissions by implementing technologies that can reduce the resources needed in manufacturing our products. These efforts are part of our sustainability goals of implementing a circular economy to eliminate plastic waste and addressing climate protection.

Careers in Materials Science

Material scientists are at the forefront of research in developing new materials for applications in infrastructure, transportation, technology, and much more.  A degree in materials science allows for a career in sectors such as manufacturing, research, aerospace, coatings, biomedical systems, and technology.  Changes in the chemical and atomic structure leads to new materials with improved properties such as toughness, flexibility, hardness, etc.  Materials science research also pushes the processing and synthesis of materials to make them more reliable, sustainable, and economic.  

Since materials science combines the study of chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics and biology, careers in materials science include product/process development scientist, design engineer, and technical sales engineer.  

According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, industries with the highest levels of employment in materials science are Scientific R&D service and chemical manufacturing.  The mean annual wage is $104,450 with the highest materials scientists employed in Massachusetts and Washington.   

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What is the most difficult part of the job?
As veterinary pathologists, we are trained to examine tissue in a microscope and provide a definitive diagnosis. Sometimes we are not able to give a definitive diagnosis. Although this aspect may be a little frustrating at times, it is what makes it, in my opinion, an intriguing and life-long learning career.
 
What is your favorite part about your job?
The most exciting aspect of my job is working with infectious diseases and animal models. At Texas Biomed, we work in BSL2, BSL3, and BSL4. These represent different levels of containment of infectious diseases. There are few places in the world with BSL4 containment laboratories. TxBiomed is one of the few places in the world you can work with infectious agents such as Ebola and Tuberculosis. The best part is there is always something new to learn.
 
Stephanie, 24, asks: 
How did you know this is what you wanted to do? I’m majoring in medical/molecular biology and I haven’t decided what I want to do career wise. There are so many things involved in the world of biology, it makes it hard to pick something. 
 
Hi Stephanie, That is certainly a great question. Number #1 find a mentor by reaching out to your professors. I would highly recommend exploring research opportunities in your local university during the semesters and explore internship opportunities at the center for disease control (CDC) during the summer break. This is time to build your resume and learn new skills that can only be gathered with hands-on experience in the laboratory setting.
 
From Ilia on Facebook:
I saw in the news that vets are vaccinating primates for Covid-19.  What can you tell us about how Covid-19 affects primates?  Do you have any experience or have any colleagues in your industry researching if Covid is just as lethal in primates as it is in humans?
 
Hi Ilia, at Texas Biomed, we have worked with primates as animal models for Covid-19. I can tell you from experience that monkeys get infected with COVID19, but do not tend to develop the lethal outcomes seen in humans. Monkeys were used to test the safety and efficacy of our current Covid-19 vaccines. 
 
From Ilia on Facebook:
Will scientific research ever reach a point when we no longer have to experiment on live animals?  (I’m a rabbit rescuer)
 
Research in animals is a highly regulated industry. All research follows the three Rs, which represent: Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. The current pandemic has shown how animal models save lives.
 
Submitted anonymously:
What does a day in your current role look like?  Do you get to do the hands-on lab work? 
 
A typical work week consists of performing necropsies at different level containment laboratories, collecting tissues, spending many hours at the microscope, and writing pathology reports. Pathologists are also involved in scientific manuscript write-ups.
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What is a piece of advice you would give to a young girl who wants to pursue a career in STEM?
 
Number #1 and most important step is to find a mentor by reaching out to your teachers or professors. I would highly recommend exploring research opportunities in your local university during the semesters and explore internship opportunities throughout the US or abroad. Your time as an undergraduate student is the perfect time to build your resume and learn new skills that can only be gathered with hands-on experience in the laboratory setting.
 
 
You now work at a research institute; did you have prior research experience?  Do you have any advice on how to find a research opportunity when in college?
 
Number #1 and most important step is to find a mentor by reaching out to your teachers or professors. I would highly recommend exploring research opportunities in your local university during the semesters and explore internship opportunities throughout the US or abroad. Your time as an undergraduate student is the perfect time to build your resume and learn new skills that can only be gathered with hands-on experience in the laboratory setting.
 
Is research at your institute collaborative?   Do you have opportunities to publish in journals?  
 
Yes, absolutely. Veterinary pathologists are also involved in scientific manuscript write-ups of research projects. We are also able to pursue our own research interests and publish on those topics.
 
We have had a rough year dealing with the pandemic and the road to vaccines.  What is the most impressive scientific advantage that has come out of it?  
 
 The most impressive scientific advances, in my opinion, have been how quickly researchers throughout the world have been able to develop, test and deploy a vaccine for a novel virus in record-breaking time. I think this sets a very positive precedent for the treatment and vaccine development of other infectious diseases.
 
 
 

​Early on during my childhood years growing up in Puerto Rico, I focused on the idea of becoming a veterinarian. Opportunities to study veterinary medicine in Puerto Rico were non-existent at that time, requiring me to look beyond the island setting and exploring veterinary professional schools in the US mainland. However, at the time, the idea of moving far away from the family for many years was daunting. I understood this was the only way.
As an undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus, I worked as a research assistant at a parasitology laboratory led by Dr. Sharon File. We worked with animal models of bilharzia to understand transmission and pathology associated with this endemic parasite. I also volunteered at the local veterinary clinic to gain contact hours working with domestic species. With my family's support and the help of many mentors who selflessly opened their doors to their clinics and research laboratories, I finished my Bachelor's degree in Biology and fulfilled the experience requirements to apply and be accepted into veterinary school. I completed the veterinary program at the University Of Wisconsin Madison School Of Veterinary Medicine, and then I decided to specialize in veterinary pathology. After completing my veterinary pathology residency and completing board certifying exams, I worked in multiple settings, including academia, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, and primate centers.  
As a veterinary pathologist at the Southwest National Primate Research Center, I have the privilege to work with laboratory animal models of infectious diseases in a research setting. This opportunity has been the most rewarding experience of my professional career. Looking back at the path that landed me in San Antonio, Tx, I will be eternally grateful for the academic mentors that provided career-defining experiences.

Alondra, 21 asks:  What excites you the most about your job? What keeps you motivated?
 
Although there are several things in this field that excite me, one of them at the forefront is the challenges forecasting. Weather is always changing, from day-to-day to seasons to unique weather events.  There is always new experiences and challenges and no two days are ever the same. This means that the learning and growing never stops.  From employing all of your skills to forecast each unique weather event to learning and employing the latest research findings and new technologies...the challenges and developments is the only constant.  Although I enjoy these things greatly and they truly are my favorite, my passion is communicating this science to the community and partners. The science of meteorology can be a thrill and its phenomena quite impressive, but it is useless if people don’t understand clearly what is going to happen and how to stay safe.
 
Liset asks:  How can high school and college students better prepare during school to be a meteorologist? Both academically and life skills wise.
 
I highly recommend that you focus on your science and math classes in high school as these will give you a strong foundation for the meteorology courses. If you can complete advanced courses such as pre-calculus, earth sciences and/or computer science, they will give you a great lead. For communicating science, polish your writing and oral skills in the English class.  Every structure needs a solid foundation and this is your foundation. 
 
While in college, try to get a degree in meteorology or atmospheric sciences. Some of the requirements will vary depending on what you want to focus your career on. If you want to be on T.V., then you will need a Broadcast Meteorology degree. If you want to work for the National Weather Service, you will need these basic requirements (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1300/meteorology-series-1340/). If you want to be a researcher, you should focus on getting a doctoral degree. It is important to mention that you do not need a bachelor’s degree in meteorology to get a master’s or doctoral degree in the same field. You can check this list of degree programs in meteorology or atmospheric sciences and their requirements:
https://nwas.org/membership/committees/education/colleges-universities/
 
Overall, the most important thing you can do to prepare yourself is challenge yourself.  Be uncomfortable and don’t fear challenges.
 
Anonymous asks:  What do meteorologists do for fun at work?
 
I always say that you are never too old to play with balloons! :) 
One of my favorite and fun things to do while at work is to release weather balloons. The weather balloon is released twice a day from different parts of the world and at the same time. It has an instrument attached to it called a radiosonde, and it collects measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed and wind direction as it moves up into the sky. Its data is relevant to understand the current environment and also for the computer models that are used for weather forecasting. You can watch a short video here:
https://twitter.com/IshaRenta/status/1257997560125456384
 
Other than that, every team has its own dynamic and it always provides laughter even in the most stressful of times.

 
Anonymous asks: What advice would you give your younger self?
 
I would say: “Be persistent and stay focused on your goals. It will not be a straight line from point A to point B. There will be curves and dangerous turns, but you have to keep aiming at that goal. Make sure you put in the work and don’t settle for anything less than perfection.  Strive for the highest grades and be fearless about getting experience and exposure to the field. Don’t forget to always give your best and put your heart into everything you do, because everything that is done this way will bounce back to you in blessings. Most importantly, always be thankful to those that have extended themselves in support to you, and make sure you pay it forward to those coming behind you.”
 
 
Anonymous asks:  Can meteorologists predict how cold a winter will be? How far ahead can you predict the weather?
 
Before I answer the question, I would like to clarify that weather and climate are not the same. Weather is the state of the atmosphere at any given time and place. While climate is the long term average of the weather in a given place. Climate is the usual weather you expect, while weather is what you get.
 
Now back to the question:
Meteorologists use seasonal *climate* predictions or outlooks to determine how a season will be compared to the normal (average) temperature and precipitation. These are useful to look at the winter season and determine if it will be colder or warmer than normal, or wetter or drier than normal for a particular region. You can check the latest winter outlook from NOAA in this website: https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/us-winter-outlook-cooler-north-warmer-south-with-ongoing-la-nina
 
For the second question: Skillful *weather* predictions can run out to about 7 to 10 days depending on your source. Climate predictions can be used to predict longer periods, like seasons, years or decades ahead.
 
Anonymous asks:  Where are the best places to live on earth in terms of fewest natural disasters?
 
Based on several online resources, it seems like Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are the safest places on Earth due to their geographical position away from major weather related events, and also no earthquake activity.  Keep in mind that the average temperature over these regions can go from 50°F in winters, to 110°F in summers, so it can get very hot. 
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a25230/safest-place-on-earth/
 
 
Anonymous asks:  What major or focus do you need to study to become a meteorologist?
 
A college degree in Atmospheric Sciences, Meteorology or Broadcast Meteorology will help you become a meteorologist. An Atmospheric Sciences or Meteorology degree should have all the courses needed, but if you want to be on T.V., you should study Broadcast Meteorology, which includes the communications courses needed and the green screen experience.  But again, as I answered in another question, math and science are your foundations in either path you take.
 
Anonymous asks:  Other than weather forecaster on TV, what other jobs do meteorologist hold?
Meteorologists can become weather forecasters or researchers for the federal government, such as the NOAA (National Weather Service), NASA, the Navy or the Air Force, and others. In the state governments they are employed within their departments of natural resources, air quality or the state climatologist office. Private companies also hire meteorologists, some examples are:

• Insurance providers (risk management and mitigation)
• Energy providers
• Emergency management organizations
• Consulting firms 
• Agricultural businesses 
• Transportation industry (aviation, highways) 
• Weather instrumentation (development and sales) 

There are also meteorology professors that teach and do research educational institutions.
I found this good resource of meteorology careers here: https://www.weather.gov/media/bro/outreach/pdf/CareerOpportunitiesMeteorology.pdf
 

Many people only know meteorologists as the people who gives you the daily forecast on the local news, however, the vast majority of meteorologists work at universities, private companies, and the government, where they conduct research, consult, and teach.  

In order to pursue a  career in meteorology, a degree in meteorology/atmospheric science is needed.  In addition to meteorology courses,  students should expect to take calculus, physics, and chemistry courses as well.  Depending on the career path  chosen after graduation , a minor in computer science, communication, geography, social sciences, physics, or math could be beneficial..  Continuing on to graduate school to earn a Master’s degree or Ph.D. is advisable, especially if students are interested in going into a specialty field in meteorology.  

So,  besides forecasting the weather in a news broadcast what can you do with a degree in meteorology?  There are plenty of options!  A list put together by the National Severe Storms Laboratory shows the variety of options  available, from working for an airline company to being a research meteorologist!(https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/people/jobs/careers.php).  

• An operational forecaster analyzes weather conditions and issues forecasts or alerts the public of severe weather for their area.
  
• A research meteorologist studies more specific areas of weather like severe weather or climate change. They can also develop tools like radar or weather models to help other meteorologists in their jobs.
  
• A meteorologist in the military makes weather observations and forecasts for missions around the world.
  
• Airlines use meteorologists to help pilots know what the weather will be like when they take-off, land,and while in the air.
  
• Electric companies ask meteorologists if a heat wave is coming so they have enough power ready to run lots of air conditioners.
  
• Road crews ask meteorologists how much snow might be coming so they can make sure they have enough trucks ready.
  
• Meteorologists tell fruit and vegetable farmers to turn their sprinklers on when a cold snap is coming to help protect crops.
  
• Meteorologists work with city managers when their town is in the path of a hurricane, if nearby rivers or streams could flood, or if a tornado is coming.
  
• What if there is a thunderstorm headed for a football stadium full of people? Meteorologists help people in charge of stadiums, arenas, shopping malls and hospitals make critical safety decisions.
  
• Radio and television stations use meteorologists, both behind the scenes and on the air, to analyze weather data and present it to their audience.
  

In addition to these positions , meteorologists are needed to teach the next generation of meteorologists as well.  Deciding to pursue a degree in meteorology is the first step, once you decide to do that, you can narrow your focus by determining where your interests lie.   Do you like  teaching,  doing research or do you prefer  to be on TV and share your knowledge in front of a camera?

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