Jacqueline Blaum, 2019 APS Career Programs Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Iowa State University

After growing up in Bettendorf, Iowa, I began studying physics and computer science and minoring in astronomy and math at Iowa State University (ISU). I am now a fourth-year undergraduate, and I intend to earn my Ph.D. in astrophysics after graduating next spring. Later I plan to do research at a national lab or other research institute.

For the last three years, I have been involved in high energy astronomy research at ISU. We are currently working on developing a maximum likelihood method for examining extended gamma ray sources such as supernova remnants. In the past, I have participated in the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship Program at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory where I worked on developing an adaptive binning method for finding transient sources in data from the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Last summer, I participated in the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory where I worked on improving the methods for classifying infrared sources through machine learning techniques.

Outside of my research, I have played clarinet in the ISU Wind Ensemble, been involved in the Honors Student Board, and done outreach through our Physics and Astronomy Club. Additionally, I co-founded and became President of the ISU Society of Women in Physics and Astronomy, which helped host the 2018 APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at ISU. Next year, I hope to revive ISU’s SPS chapter. In my spare time, I also enjoy ballet, horseback riding, and playing with my dogs.

Internship

Host: American Physical Society

Project

Abstract

This summer, a physicist who became an intellectual property attorney told me, "[Studying physics is] a major plus... People think you can do anything, and honestly, you probably can.” In fact, students who major in physics go on to become consultants, data scientists, lawyers, publishers, educators, entrepreneurs, policy analysts, medical physicists, professors, and more. To inform students and job seekers of the broad array of careers available to physicists while targeting underrepresented groups, I have developed a deck of playing cards titled “Across the Spectrum: Women & Gender Minorities in Physics Careers.” These playing cards, created in collaboration with the APS Marketing team, feature 26 women and gender minorities working across a spectrum of employment sectors. These cards will be made available to each student attending the 2020 APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiPs) and also offered by the APS store. In addition to creating these cards, I have updated and added to the list of physicist profiles on the APS website to broaden the variety of careers and identities represented there. This project has not only expanded my knowledge and understanding of physics careers, but has also provided me inspiration in pursuing my own career goals. I hope that each person who views the materials I have created will be able to find relatable role models while extending their awareness of possible careers for physicists.

Final Presentation

Internship Blog

Week 1: A Great Start with APS Career Programs

My first week in DC has flown by! I am the APS Career Programs Intern this summer, and I am working with Crystal Bailey to create a deck of playing cards that features successful women in different physics careers. These cards will be handed out to each student that attends the Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiPs) in January 2020, and they will also be sold on the APS store. As I am putting together these cards, I will also be updating and adding to the profiles of physicists listed on the APS website.

I applied for this internship because I wanted to make a broader impact on underrepresented groups in physics, particularly women, through some form of outreach. At the 2018 CUWiP, I learned that often women do not choose a physics major in college because they are unaware of the resulting career options. This knowledge made me especially interested in the SPS position with careers. This internship aligns perfectly with my goals and interests, and I am thrilled with my placement.

Before arriving in DC, I had a couple of Zoom meetings with Crystal to come up with a project idea that would encapsulate the diversity of careers in physics while specifically targeting underrepresented groups. I am so grateful to Crystal and her team for allowing me to be a part of the decision for my project, and I am really excited to see the result. So far, I’ve been going through the list of existing physicist profiles and finding additional candidates for the playing cards while making sure that we have women representing a wide range of careers, races, sexual orientations, etc. This part of the project has been so much fun, and I have already learned a lot from these women. They each share such unique stories and wise words of advice that I can’t wait to pass along to other physics students through the playing cards we are creating.

Outside of work, I am having an amazing time getting to know the other interns and exploring the area. Meg and I have been going to yoga classes at Yoga District, and several of us went to Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art Friday evening. The hour-long commute each way to work hasn’t left much time at the apartment during the week, but when I’m not at yoga, I’ve been having fun trying new recipes and watching The Good Place with my roommates. I’m having a great time so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the summer has in store!

Week 2: Already??

This week has been full of work, yoga, and fun. Keeping myself busy has definitely made the time go by very fast.

My work week started off with the question of whether we wanted to use a medium other than playing cards for advertising different physics careers through my project. We thought that a calendar might be a good alternative because it could fit more information about each featured physicist. I spent a lot of the week asking my classmates, fellow interns, and co-workers which option they thought would be more successful. Crystal and I ended up settling on playing cards, mainly because one deck will last for several years, and we can continue to sell them on the APS store.

I spent the rest of the week collecting contact information for potential candidates that I plan to feature, and I started to write some content for their profiles. On Thursday, I finally got to meet my awesome mentor, Crystal, which was very exciting! I’m looking forward to being able to communicate much more easily with her back in the office. By the end of the week, once we had settled on the playing card option, I began reaching out to the candidates to schedule phone interviews to gather information for their online profiles. I already have two calls scheduled for next week; I’m really grateful for this amazing opportunity to talk to successful scientists coming from such diverse backgrounds.

After work, I spent most evenings going to yoga with Meg. On Tuesday, we tried out acroyoga, which we thought would be the same thing as aerial yoga-- it was not! Acroyoga is essentially partner yoga, involving sharing weight and balancing on/lifting one another. We learned a lot; we were able to successfully do a hanging bat pose! We plan on trying out aerial yoga at a different studio soon.

This weekend was full of fun social activities at Froggy Bottom Pub, BTS, Captain Cookie, and back at the apartments. Most of us went to the Optical Society to celebrate Pride and watch the parade. I’ve really enjoyed spending time with the people I’ve met here, and I can already tell that parting ways at the end of the summer is going to be bittersweet!

Week 3: I’m Never Leaving

This week I am feeling very spoiled by this internship. On Thursday evening, we went on an amazing dinner cruise. On the boat, we enjoyed a beautiful view of DC, a three-course meal, drinks, and dancing. On Friday afternoon, we had a very nice catered lunch with the SPS executive committee. Then, on Saturday, we were invited to an SPS pizza dinner and a concert put on by the National Orchestral Institute. The pianist, Kevin Cole, was absolutely phenomenal and looked like he was having a wonderful time; he made me miss playing piano. I had a fantastic experience during these events, especially the cruise and the concert, and I appreciated the opportunity to network with more SPS people. Plus, it’s always fun to have an excuse to dress up!

The rest of the weekend has been very memorable as well. We rented a private karaoke room at the Punch Bowl Social on Friday and had so much fun that we continued our singing back at the apartments. Then, a few of us went on a late-night run to the Lincoln Memorial, where we saw some scenes being shot for an upcoming HBO show, The Plot Against America. I guess now I’ll have to watch that show when it comes out.

On Saturday before the concert, three of us enjoyed a nice stroll around the trails on Theodore Roosevelt Island. Being submerged in nature for an hour or so was very refreshing, and the view of DC from the bridge leading to the island was lovely.

My work week was quite eventful as well. In addition to working on finalizing a list of physicists that I’d like to feature on the playing cards we are making, tracking down contact information, starting to write content for the playing cards, and updating some of the old physicist profiles on the APS Careers website, I conducted my first two phone interviews for the project. I heard a lot of great advice and information about different fields of physics during those two calls, and I’m looking forward to comparing the recordings of my first interview with my last interview to see how my interviewing skills have improved by the end of the summer.

I spent the end of the week writing those two physicists’ profiles and am just waiting on their approval. They should be posted on the APS Careers website sometime this week, so stay tuned!

Week 4: What’s your physicist prototype?

Two years ago I attended the APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). A data scientist gave a fantastic plenary talk about her path from earning a PhD in Astrophysics to working in the tech industry. She provided a long list of reasons why data science was a better fit for her, and she encouraged students to explore options outside of academia. I left the talk feeling inspired. If I found that I didn’t enjoy graduate school, another option existed in which I could be successful and happy while making a positive contribution to society as this woman was doing in her career.

So as I left the auditorium, why did I see so many disapproving faces and hear so many hushed whispers from the rest of the audience? Had I missed something? “People are upset because she insulted careers in academia,” a nearby faculty member informed me. “She shouldn’t be encouraging students to give up.”

This comment disturbed me, but I didn’t think much more about the issue again until I came across the APS Career Programs Internship a few months ago and was offered the position. Finally, a chance had appeared to learn more about this problem and figure out how to address it! I was thrilled. However, when I informed my fellow physicists at my university of my summer plans, I was typically met with surprise or confusion. I found the consistency of these responses to be extremely disconcerting; was I making a bad choice to be taking a break from research to do physics career outreach when my own career goal is to go into research at a university or national lab?

I am confident that the answer to that question is a firm no.

In the last three weeks, I have spoken with a countless number of physicists. Before those three weeks, I still would have described my physicist prototype as a researcher working in a lab, but my experience with APS has turned that vision hazy. Each of the groups within the American Center for Physics includes physicists who do incredible work behind the scenes to produce programs, materials, publications, and events for physicists as well as the general public. In addition to the wonderful people I’ve met in my building, I have conducted phone interviews with six physicists so far for my project, and I have at least three more calls this week. I’ve spoken with a data scientist focusing her efforts toward locating new sustainable materials, a distance learning educator that teaches children around the world through video calls, a process technology development engineer that spent five years dedicating an intense number of hours to her job, and an IP attorney who is a part-owner of her highly successful law firm. Before this summer, I knew that options for physicists existed outside of academia, but I was completely unaware of the broadness of the extent of physics careers. The opportunities are practically endless!

According to AIP data from 2013 and 2014, 65% of physics bachelor’s degree recipients go into the private sector after graduation. So why is it that probably 95% of my previous knowledge concerning physics careers has been centered on the path to academia? Why have I been primed to believe that going into any career outside research is giving up or taking the easy way out?

The APS Career Programs team has developed amazing resources regarding physics careers both inside and outside academia to address these issues. To any physics faculty members, high school teachers, or other leaders who mentor physics students, please, please share these resources with your students. Part of our responsibility as physicists is to educate students about options for their futures so that they can choose the path that suits them best without being discouraged or made to think that their choice is lesser than another. Hopefully by becoming a professor or working at a national lab, I can use what I’ve learned this summer to play a part in reversing the bias and lack of awareness that tends to permeate physics education.

Week 5: Feels Like Crunch Time

Reaching the halfway point of my time in DC feels bittersweet... and also a bit terrifying. In five weeks, I’ll head home to enjoy a couple more weeks of summer before I ship myself off to Chile for a ten-day data science school and then start my final year of undergrad. I’ll begin the last full year that I spend in Iowa, at least for the near future, and my last full year before I have to start “adulting” full-time. I’ll learn where I’ll be spending the next five or six years of my life for graduate school, and I’ll pack up all my things and officially move out of my parents’ house.

But before I even get to the point of worrying about all these life changes, I have a long to-do list to complete. In addition to working the next five weeks, I need to finish checking off the items on my DC tourist bucket list, study for the Physics GRE, work on a research paper, write my first drafts of fellowship application essays, narrow down my list of grad schools I’m going to apply to, keep training for a 10K (or a half marathon if the DC heat and humidity don’t kill me), make the most of my unlimited yoga classes, and probably do some other things that I’m forgetting.

Despite the stress induced by the length of this checklist, I am excited to experience these remaining five weeks. My project is going well; although I have found some hiccups in finalizing a list of physicists to feature in the deck of playing cards I’m creating, I have received approval from six of them on the content of their cards in just the last week. I am very hopeful that by the end of the summer, we will be able to feature the full list of twenty-six women and gender minorities that we’ve been working on.

I’ve also been having a blast outside of work. Last week, we participated in a science-themed trivia night and attended the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity. Friday night, a few of us enjoyed a late-night karaoke jam session in the dorm lounge. Over the weekend, I went shopping in Georgetown and ate a sushi burrito, and this morning I woke up early enough to run a few miles without the weather becoming too unbearable. When I first arrived here in May, I wasn’t sure I was going to like DC, but I’m appreciating the city more and more as the summer goes on.

Although I’ve been keeping myself fairly busy the last five weeks with fun and work, I’ve been doing my best to live in the moment and get as much as possible out of this experience. So much lies ahead after this summer, but I’m looking forward to the second half of this adventure in DC. It’s been a great one so far.

Week 6: July 4th in DC

Last week, work was filled with phone interviews, emails, and profile writing as usual, but the four-day weekend due to the Fourth of July left ample time for adventures. Luckily, my phone just barely survived a battle with a surprise thunderstorm during my run Tuesday night, so I didn’t have to survive the holiday festivities without my handy communication device.

On the Fourth, the interns gathered for an indoor “cook-out” lunch and later attended A Capitol Fourth, a concert featuring various artists and beautiful fireworks. Thanks to AIP Mather Policy Intern Gia’s access, we were able to watch the festivities from the steps of the Capitol building. Unfortunately, bad weather caused an evacuation of the area in the early evening, and when we returned, smoke hid most of the fireworks display. However, the concert and company of the other interns made the experience well worth the trouble.

Friday night, my family arrived to visit and celebrate my dad’s birthday. We ate a fantastic brunch, explored Georgetown, visited the International Spy Museum and the National Museum of Natural History, and enjoyed a night of live music at a local restaurant and bar. We escaped a room at Escape Room Arlington and had so much fun that we went back and managed to escape another room after eating dinner next door. We also made it to karaoke at Tonic at Quigley’s, and I finally tried their dessert that involves an interesting combination of apples, ice cream, and tater tots. I was not disappointed!

I’m looking forward to spending one more night with my family and then moving on to the rest of the planned activities for the week. The interns are touring both Capitol Hill and NASA Goddard in the next few days, and we have a picnic scheduled for Thursday evening (which unfortunately means that Meg and I will have to miss another Ashtanga Yoga class). At work, I am excited to continue contacting physicists about being featured in my playing cards and to conduct more interviews, and soon I’ll start thinking about what I would like to share in my final presentation. I’ll definitely be staying busy!

Week 7: Capitol Hill & NASA Goddard

Last week was much different from the previous weeks of the internship, as I spent two full days out of the office to attend the excellent intern-led tours of Capitol Hill and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I initially thought that the time away from work would feel refreshing, but I was quite wrong. I spent most of the weekend recovering from the exhaustion of spending most of those two days walking around, sometimes in the oppressive heat and humidity, but the experiences were well worth the recovery time!

My favorite part of visiting Capitol Hill was walking around the halls of congresspeople’s offices and entering a few offices to speak with the staff. I was amazed to see the places where these politicians actually work; the wall outside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s office (pictured below) was particularly awe-inspiring. I also enjoyed our group meeting with Rep. Bill Foster, the only physicist with a Ph.D. currently in Congress.

For me, an aspiring astrophysicist, the Goddard tour was like a dream. We attended an event, the “Jamboree,” in which NASA groups had set up a huge number of informational booths that handed out endless amounts of swag. I acquired several pens, flyers, stickers, pins, and posters that I have no clue how I’m going to get home without crushing. To my surprise, I ran into a fellow intern from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics last summer; she was part of the booth for the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), which will have a view 100 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope. Seeing her in her element sharing her love of astronomy with others was probably the best part of my day.

This weekend, I finally tried brunch at Fare Well, a vegan restaurant with an amazing menu. I ordered a carrot cake pancake and fennel seitan sausage, both of which I highly recommend. I also couldn’t resist returning to Escape Room Arlington, this time with friends. Although the room wasn’t quite as scary as we expected, we were able to escape the “Good Doctor” before he returned to his dinner party to eat us. We plan on returning next week to try another room, and if we win I will have beaten all four rooms at the location and collected all four pins to get the “champion” pin (let’s face it, I’m a sucker for their marketing techniques). The three rooms I’ve tried so far have been amazing, and I wish they had more!

This morning, the fact that I only have three more weeks left in DC began to set in as I started drafting the title and abstract for my final presentation. I have finished my part of 16 playing cards, which means I only have 10 more to go. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities this internship offers and everything that I’ve been learning, but I’m definitely starting to feel ready to go home as we enter the home stretch of the summer.

Week 8: Counting Down the Days

8 weeks of the internship behind us. I’m ready to go home, but I am not ready to leave behind the wonderful people I’ve met here.

7 more physicist profiles to write. I have learned so much from the physicists I have interviewed this summer, and I am excited to share the information I have learned about their various careers with students and faculty at my university when I return.

6 playing cards to finish. At the end of last week, I was starting to worry that I would not have time to finish my project. The most challenging aspect of creating these playing cards has been finalizing a well-balanced, representative set of physicists with diverse careers. At first, I honestly thought this process would only take three or four weeks; however, I did not consider the time-consuming nature of waiting for responses from emails. As soon as I had put together my initial list, I couldn’t send emails to all the candidates I wanted to feature at once; in the case that some of them said no, I would have to rework the whole list to preserve its diversity. Thankfully, I have heard back from 26 people and will be able to finish the deck with each physicist on two cards as planned.

5 more yoga classes. Last week, Meg and I tried aerial yoga for the first time (pictured below). My arms and shoulders were not prepared! I hadn’t planned on becoming such a yogi when I arrived here this summer, but I definitely plan to find a studio in my college town this fall to continue my practice.

4 tours of the other interns’ placement sites. Last week, we toured the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Optical Society of America (OSA). I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to see and learn about these amazing places in addition to NASA Goddard and Capitol Hill.

3 days in the office next week. The final two days will be spent practicing and presenting our final talks for the summer and touring ACP, the building I’ve been working in. I’m excited to have a chance to hear more about the other interns’ projects and to share my own experience.

2 more weeks with APS. I’ve loved experiencing the differences between working in a research job and for a nonprofit. Although I won’t miss the long commute to College Park, I’ll be sad to leave behind the friendly faces, my fancy computer monitor, the free coffee, and of course the fun project I’ve been working on.

1 more weekend left in DC. I have no idea how I’ll spend my precious few free days left in the city, but I’m looking forward to closing out the summer by making memories with friends.

Week 9: And Down the Stretch They Come!

The final days of the internship have arrived, and they are every bit as bittersweet as I imagined they would be.

I can’t wait to go home to my family, my boyfriend, and our dogs. I can’t wait to have a relaxing vacation at a lake and to go to Chile for a data science program. I can’t wait to be back in my townhouse at school where the floors don’t seem to attract dirt the way the floors in the dorms here do. I can’t wait to be back at school with my friends and to be able to drive my car. I can’t wait to have access to all of my cooking and cleaning supplies. I can’t wait to sleep in a bed that doesn’t stab me with springs every time I move. I can’t wait to do laundry without having to pay or be afraid that I’m going to drop my clean clothes on the sticky floor. I can’t wait to have a closet instead of a wardrobe. I can’t wait to drive home with my groceries instead of walking home carrying them.

On the other hand, I’m going to miss a lot of things about this summer. I’m going to miss doing crosswords, exploring the city, doing karaoke, watching movies, playing card games, and everything between with the other interns. I’m going to miss yoga and finding dairy-free food options with Meg. I’m going to miss the amazing vegan restaurants. I’m going to miss wandering over to Georgetown to look in the stores or going to Tonic to snack on some tater tots. I’m going to miss my mentor and coworkers, and I’m going to miss the fun, productive atmosphere of ACP. I’m going to miss having so many great conversations with physicists from diverse backgrounds. I’m going to miss our outdoor intern lunches. I’m going to miss going for runs around the National Mall. I’m going to miss having a Potbelly right downstairs and the convenience of the Metro. I’m going to miss the bucket hat fad and everyone’s enthusiasm for physics.

As we enter the home stretch, I am feeling very grateful for the experience I’ve had here. I haven’t heard of another opportunity quite like the SPS internship program, and I’m so glad I came across it online last December. I’ve learned more than I ever imagined I would, and I’ve most definitely gained a broader perspective of what it means to be a physicist.