Scientists and Engineers in the United States

Dr. Ignacio Chapela - Ecologist, Mycologist

Bio and Projects: 
Ignacio Chapela is a microbial ecologist and mycologist at the University of California, Berkeley. He works on staple crops,  using transgenes into wild maize. He is a critic of the biotechnology industry and an advocate for Indigenous rights. Chapela founded The Mycological Facility in Oaxaca state, a facility dealing with questions of natural resources and indigenous rights, and collaborates with indigenous communities in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Ecuador on issues of rights to genetic resources.

Contact:
Email:  ichapela@berkeley.edu

What inspired me to go into science?
“... ideas of questions, what questions do I address and which questions do I leave aside because that's the way everything happens. You choose to do one thing and not do the other. And, in that process, to what extent do you allow yourself to be influenced, fed by outside forces, is, to me, a really good measure.” From this interview of  Dr. Chapela. 
 

Dr. Aprille J. Ericsson - Aeronautical Engineer

Bio and Projects:
"The majority of my engineering career has been spent working at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC); where NASA plays a vital role in global understanding of the Sun-Earth connection, Earth, and Space science... My NASA career started as an aerospace engineer in the Robotics group, but soon after, I transferred into the Guidance Navigation & Control discipline... I was the Deputy Instrument Project Manager for the ICESat-2/ATLAS (Ice, Cloud, & Land Elevation Satellite), a $500M LIDAR laser altimeter instrument that will provide measurements over the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets... In 2014, I assumed a new role in technology development, as the Deputy to the Chief Technologist of the Applied Engineering and Technology Division. In this role, I focused on enabling the development of miniaturized Technology and Small Satellites like CubeSats. In 2017, I assumed the New Business Lead position of the NASA GSFC Instrument Systems and Technology Division. I have [also] been an Adjunct Professor at: University of Maryland, Bowie State University and HU. I am proud to be the first (African American) female to receive a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from HU; the first American to receive a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, the Aerospace option from HU; and the first African American female to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering at NASA GSFC." (from an autobiographical statement she provided)

Contact:
Phone: (301) 286-9154  Email:  Aprille.J.Ericsson@nasa.gov 

What inspired me to go into science?
“There were so many different things that inspired me! My first inspiration in school was in first grade I got to see astronauts on TV. In seventh grade my grandfather would often help me with my science projects. He was my source of inspiration at home. I had a very good earth science teacher in ninth grade; the projects were hands-on and exciting. Then, I went to a summer program in eleventh grade that took us to a field trip to the air force base. My senior year I had an awesome physics teacher who made science fun; we spent a lot of time doing the physics on the pool table!” 

Dr. Helen Quinn - Theoretical Physicist

Bio and Projects:
Helen R. Quinn is professor emerita of physics at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2003 and was president of the American Physical Society in 2004. As a theoretical physicist, her research has focused on particle physics such as nuclear forces, antimatter, and dark matter. In addition to her scholarship in physics, she has had long-term involvement in science education and in the continuing education of science teachers. She was an active contributor to the California State Science Standards development process. She recently chaired the Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards for the National Research Council. (Bio from the Stanford NGSS Assessment Project)

Contact:
Email:  quinn@slac.stanford.edu 

What inspired me to go into science?
“I was fortunate to have both parents and teachers who encouraged me to be curious about the world. I never thought I would have a lifelong career as a scientist but at each step of the way some one or more people encouraged me to take the next step and I kept going forward following my interests. Perhaps the most unique message came from my excellent high school math teacher Miss Cunningham, who one day told me ‘Helen, you could be a mathematician, because you are so lazy! You will never do a problem the long and boring way, you always try to find a clever way.’ I puzzled over whether this was praise or criticism, but the grounding she gave in mathematical reasoning was important as I became a theoretical physicist, which is a very mathematics-based profession.” - Dr. Quinn (provided in an email)

Hannah Spaul - Land Manager/Engineer

Bio and Projects:

Hannah Spaul is the director of Land Management at the Wisconsin chapter of The Nature Conservancy. She takes care of the natural preserves using a variety of tools. For instance, Hannah Spaul controls and stops the spread of invasive species through fire management and other means.

Contact:
Email: hspaul@tnc.org

What inspired me to go into science?
“I don’t think I made a conscious choice to pursue science until I was entering college, but I do remember I loved science fair projects in school, and was often making up and doing my own experiments at home. As a youth I enjoyed spending time outdoors, whether it was hiking somewhere new, catching frogs in a pond, or making forts in the back yard and adjacent empty wood lots. I was always curious about nature and interested in how the plants and trees interacted with insects, birds, frogs and other wildlife. As I learned more about how critical it was to protect natural places, I realized that I wanted to do something related to protecting nature for a living.”

Lisette Titre - Software Engineer

Bio and Projects:
Lisette Titre is a computer animator. She has worked with computer games, including Tiger Woods Golf for Nintendo’s Wii, The Simpsons, and Dante’s inferno. Titre uses images of real people to 3D digital sculpture. She needs to use her ability as an artist as well as her computer engineering skills. She is also working to develop a STEM-based, computer game development curriculum to connect youth to careers in tech. 

Contact:
Email: zette16@gmail.com

What inspired me to go into science?
“I've been playing games all my life. I've been drawing since I can remember. I think it started when I saw 'Toy Story.' It sort of clicked for me that I could be an artist and also use my left and my right brain and do very technical work, in addition to creating beautiful art. So it was really 'Toy Story' that sort of drove me to go to school for computer animation.”