Finding My Dream Job with Undergrads After Only Three Decades of Searching: The Art of Changing Careers in Science

Launched into the world just a few weeks after Sputnik was launched into orbit, I was an eager beneficiary of the space race. Money poured into US education with an urgent focus on science and math. Unfortunately, the strong bias against women in STEM threw up a few roadblocks that kept me on the sidelines observing as a science journalist for the first half of my career. After progressing through the broadcasting ranks from Bluefield, West Virginia to Cincinnati, Ohio, the opportunity to work as a science writer for a major research university provided the catalyst to complete both a master’s and a PhD. Teaching introductory biology courses for a decade at the University of Cincinnati taught me that my dream job needed both a classroom and a laboratory. How could I teach science without doing science? In a miracle of timing, Northern Kentucky University had the perfect opening just as I was completing my doctorate. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring over 100 undergraduate students in my lab while surviving the grueling gauntlet of reappointment, promotion, and tenure. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I’m still in orbit and climbing to higher altitudes and healthier attitudes every year.