Major: Chemistry
Profession: Associate staff scientist, SLAC National Accelerator Lab, Menlo Park, Calif.
Hometown: Houston
What are you doing now?
I'm currently an associate staff scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Lab. There, I'm working on fancy ways of taking movies of proteins — little biological nano-machines that process food, actuate muscles, send signals, etc — using x-rays and electrons. It's challenging because proteins are small, about 1/1000 the size of a human hair, and change shape quickly, on timescales around a millionth of a second. Fortunately, we have some big toys at SLAC we're building to film these little machines performing their magic.
How did you get there?
I recently graduated from Stanford with a Ph.D. in chemistry. While I was at Stanford, I was working on "CGI"-style movies of proteins, created using a computer. Those movies, called simulations, are our best guess, so to speak, about how proteins move. I was a little unsatisfied with the guessing part — I wanted to know for sure! So after I graduated I took a position at SLAC, where we hope to actually film the real thing. That's not possible right now, but we're pushing towards that goal.
How did Pomona prepare you?
I learned a lot of science at Pomona, and that comes in useful every day for me. But I think what I really learned at Pomona was how much stronger you can become by inviting people to challenge your views and engaging with them, rather than sequestering yourself in a camp of people who think the way you do. Scientists do this all the time — they try and tear down each other's arguments in search of the truth. At Pomona it was even broader than that: I found my assumptions about society, economics, politics, religion all challenged, ultimately in a constructive way. A lot of that happened outside the classroom. It made me a better scientist, a better citizen, and a better person.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Right now every day I get paid to explore the world we live in. If I can still be doing that in some capacity in five years, that will be awesome.
Any advice for prospective or current students?
I've been blessed to be able to make my passion my work. If you're at or considering Pomona, chances are you'll be able to do the same. Think hard every day about what you're spending your time doing and why. I understand it's not possible to follow dreams all the time, but to quote a great: If you have the means, I highly recommend it.