For the love of science!

I’ve spent my career in a field of science and engineering but with a political science degree and no good science credentials to show, how did I fit in?

It has taken me a long time to get over feeling like an imposter, like I a snuck into a concert without a ticket!

I very accidentally ended up in this field.?One day, my now mentor and friend, John Kautenberger, called me and said he had seen my resume online and had I ever heard of CAD (computer aided design)??I hadn’t!?Inexplicably, I was able to get through the interview process and was hired.?The first few weeks were horrible.?I understood nothing and thought I made a terrible mistake.?But I persevered, and slowly, it all started to make sense and I found that I really loved it.?

As someone who had never understood academic mathematics or physics, I was now selling physics-based software and I was thrilled!?For the first time, physics was explained in plain English, and it all started to make sense!?Linear and non-linear materials, static and dynamic.?Methodologies like Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian, Discrete Elements, Fluid Structure Interaction.?Can one love physics without fully understanding it??I certainly did.?

Every day was something new and exciting to learn.?At one of the National Labs, Fermilab, I learned about Particle Physics and about Neutrinos (sounds like a snack!). I relished having lunch in the cafeteria there, surrounded by some of the most amazing minds in the world. I learned about Piezo-electric when working with a surgical device company. ?I learned about Low and High Frequency Electromagnetics, multibody dynamics and more. I cherished a plant tour, the sounds and smells of manufacturing and seeing something go from a computer model to a real-life thing. I felt like a kid in a candy store!?In a way, I was back to my early roots in Norway’s Arctic region!

I spent countless hours in my grandfather’s workshop, learning to use a lathe while he steadied my hand. His workshop was full of power and hand tools, and a big pile of wood and other supplies waiting to be transformed into beautiful objects. There was an intoxicating smell of hand rolled cigarettes, a wood burning stove and the aroma released from the turned wood. It was magical.

At home, my dad was a hobby naturalist and ornithologist and taught me so much about the world around us. The arctic is an extraordinary place with fragile ecosystems.?I used to think it was normal to see reindeer herds on Sunday drives and puffin chicks learning to fly on remote islands. The shoreline and ocean was bursting with life, fine-tuned to harsh weather.?I always had a knife and matches in my backpack, ready for adventure.?Most of my free time was spent wandering in the woods and hiking the mountain behind my house.?Always observing.?I wanted to be a veterinarian and often attempted and sometimes succeeded in rescuing injured wildlife.?Our summer house was next to a dairy farm run by a large animal vet and I couldn’t think of a cooler career.?If you’ve never had your entire hand enveloped in a raspy cow tongue, you’re missing out! I eventually came to understand and accept that my brain didn’t work the way it needed to pursue a career in science.?Memorization was difficult, mathematics was terrifying. I abandoned my childhood dreams.?I needed a new plan.

I was able to get into the college prep high school in my district and majored in languages (English, German, French).?I moved to the US and switched my major to Political Science after taking American National Government with the incomparable Dr. Candice Young. I found that I loved US politics and global politics (still do) and it was an exciting time after the fall of the Berlin Wall and democratization in so many former Soviet Republics. I was fortunate to go to a liberal arts university and outside Policial Science, I had awesome classes in Biology (with Dr. Janick-Buckner), Agricultural science, Geology, Military Science and more. I was also smart enough to know that had I enrolled in Chemistry or Physics, I would not have graduated!

So now, looking at my career and life, I have the benefit of all these worlds coming together.?Learning for the joy of learning and learning because it helps my work. So how have all these experiences shaped me? It has taken all fear out of learning new things and facing challenges.?Life is highly dynamic and non-linear, and we must constantly adapt to change.?

I still love politics and campaign for candidates every two years.?Calling people and showing up at their door to talk about policy is by the way excellent sales training. It sounds like it would be horrible, but people are surprisingly lovely, and I know firsthand that humans can disagree without being disagreeable.?It’s a beautiful thing. So much progress is tied to legislative efforts so being engaged with the political process is important for all of us.

I’ve also gone back to my roots and volunteer with a wildlife center for injured, sick, and orphaned animals.?I’ve learned more than I’d ever imagine about parasites, infections, and vehicle/animal encounters. I love the thrill of wrangling a racoon into a crate! There is a long list of species that have taken a ride in the back of my car: Musk rats, racoons, owls, opossums, squirrels, foxes, hawks, toads and more. I am in awe of the resilience of all living creatures.

Although I no longer live by the ocean, I have found great joy in snorkeling Midwest lakes.?Watching the seasons under water from the desolate underwater landscape in early spring to the lush plant life mid-summer and the return to mud in the fall is interesting.?Teeming with life, fish and turtles are curious and swim up to investigate this huge strange fish among them. Seeing a 50-centimeter diameter ancient snapping turtle under water is an extraordinary sight and feeling.

Right now, the world is going through a huge shift, and we need to renew our commitment to science.?Science is what will provide solutions to help the planet and all who inhabit her live to see another day.?We need more science, and we need to communicate that science in a way that lay people can understand. The biggest challenge for lay people is seeing science and technology in early stages and not being able to see the long-term potential because it’s still evolving.?We see this in renewable energy, electrification, and autonomy.?Respecting the skepticism and responding without judgment is really important.

We are witnessing a shift to electrification, with clean energy sources, and energy storage.?We are implementing Carbon Capture with both technology and plants. It’s dual track of understanding nature and pushing technology.?All the while, political leaders need to get up to speed so we can have guidelines for things like AI and Autonomous technology. In my work, I find myself increasingly leaning into the business of sustainability.?It’s a growth industry with a larger purpose.

There is value in generalists who know a little bit about a lot to tie all this together.?Following US and world politics, staying informed on current events, having an interest in business and economics, having a layman understanding of science have all been quite beneficial to me personally and professionally.

So perhaps we should encourage the next generation to make less conventional choices so more people see the forest and not just the trees. Curiosity must be nourished to flourish.

I will continue to love science and tomorrow I will undoubtedly learn something new!