Announcements

November 2022 Edition

Julie Carrera, SSS Interim Director

Zoom, Zoom! Who’s going to the moon?

Not Julie Carrera, although her interest in science began thanks to an uncle whose university research group analyzed moon rocks and soils from the Apollo missions.

Carrera is the interim director for the Strategic Security Sciences (SSS) division. She considered using her PhD in chemistry to pursue a career similar to her uncle’s before she found a passion for using her technical expertise to inform national security policy-making. Her interest in air travel, however, has lasted, and her work at Argonne has taken her to more than 30 countries across six continents.

Both her career and management philosophy are punctuated by a familiar flight reference.

“I always remember the safety briefing instruction to put your oxygen mask on first,” said Carrera. “You cannot be an effective leader if you run yourself into the ground. It’s important to care for yourself so you can best support your team and set an example for others to do the same.”

For Carrera, this means scheduling electronic black-out times to give herself relief from the strain of being always “on” and spend focused time with family. In her personal life, it means making time to engage in her hobby of cooking and recipe testing and trying to be physically active every day, even if it’s just a 15-minute-long, head-clearing walk.

She also believes it’s important to go where curiosity leads, even if it’s into the unknown.

“I did not necessarily envision myself as an executive leader early in my career, but we introverts have many strengths that are key to successful leadership,” said Carrera, who has also served as deputy division director, group leader and section manager during her tenure at Argonne. “Don’t discount what you have to bring to the table just because you may not fit the stereotype of a leader.”

She continues to work on silencing one of her harshest critics: Herself.

“It’s important to take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses so you can grow, but it’s growth-inhibiting to think poorly of yourself,” she said. “I learned to view my mistakes as learning opportunities and gave myself grace from my own self-defeating self-criticism. This has helped me beat back counterproductive thoughts and advance in my career.”

Her advice to young colleagues interested in STEM? Stay true to your interests and values. While they might not lead you to the moon, unexpected nearby stars may guide you to a satisfying, meaningful career path.

“If you are energized by particular topics, that’s a great clue to where a fulfilling career could lie,” said Carrera. “Follow that clue!”

November 2022 Edition

Laura Adochio, Program Lead, DIS

For Laura Adochio, a Decision and Infrastructure Sciences program manager of a vulnerability and threat analysis program with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service, making the choice to leave her computer science career in the 1990s to focus on raising her children was relatively easy.

Returning to the workforce 13 years later, however, was not.

LinkedIn and Facebook existed but they weren’t prevalent. Old-school networking efforts – lunches, phone calls, and emerging email – didn’t help her compete with younger computer scientists with up-to-date skills. Remote work wasn’t an option.

“Once I left, I couldn’t get back in,” said Adochio, whose math and computer science degree initially served her well as an IT developer. “I attempted to rejoin the workforce in the early 2000s, but I couldn’t get a job in tech because my skills were a decade old and the market was flooded. No one wanted to hire someone who had to be brought up to speed.”

Adochio had devoted her time to raising her daughters, helping with church and school functions, running Girl Scouts programming, and filling the countless other volunteer needs every community has. Those turned out to be the building block upon which she rebuilt her career.

“A lot of that is really project management, so I was able to pull all of it together and matrix it into project management experience,” she said.

Today, Adochio manages a $3-$4 million per year federal protective service portfolio. It includes a robust methodology and IT system for understanding risk and helps protect federal facilities and the people who work and visit there.

The role also offers her the flexibility to live and work from Florida, where she enjoys evening pool time and observing wildlife, as well as connecting with her three grown daughters, who are now in a stage of life where they may face the same decisions their mother faced years ago.

Would Adochio advise them to follow her path?

“The answer to that is different for everyone,” she reflected. “The greatest challenge of my career was trying to come back after being out, but I don’t think I would have wanted to balance those two things simultaneously. When I’m working, I want to solely focus on getting things done and am dedicated to work. When I had kids, I wanted to be invested in that. In the end, I think I ended up exactly where I am supposed to be. I wouldn’t go back and trade any of it.”

Join WIST to Commemorate U.S. Women’s Equality Day – August 26

In honor of the work of many individuals to agitate, advocate, and advance equal access to voting and recognition as United States citizens we commemorate Women’s Equality Day.

From the National Constitution Center:

The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Women’s Equality Day on August 26th each year?

The simple answer is that even when a constitutional amendment has been ratified it’s not official until it has been certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier.

Read the rest here >> (https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/why-august-26-is-known-as-womans-equality-day )

Ready to test your knowledge of influential women in science, mathematics and technology? Check out this quiz >> https://anl.box.com/v/WISTQUIZ-Aug26 or video below.

September 2022 Edition

Emily Zvolanek, Senior GIS Analyst

It’s tough to identify career mentors when your career has only existed a short time. For Emily Zvolanek, a senior geographic information systems (GIS) analyst in the Environmental Sciences division, her introduction to GIS happened because one of her professors at Monmouth College was intrigued by the relatively new discipline (it began in the 1960s) and asked a small group of students (including Zvolanek) to figure it out through independent study.

“I found it interesting and challenging and I wanted to know more about it,” said Zvolanek, who recalls with a laugh that some assignments entailed walking around the school football field trying to locate GIS points.

Still, there was no degree program in GIS at Monmouth so, after earning a degree in environmental studies, she enrolled in the few classes on the subject offered at her local community college. No degree or certificate program was offered there either, but the professor teaching the class happened to work at Argonne. Following success in that class and an internship elsewhere, Argonne offered her a job in 2012.

“My path into GIS and to Argonne did not follow a straight line,” she quipped.

Zvolanek has since gained significant technical experience and she credits others at Argonne with helping her in this regard. She feels inspired to be that person for other young people trying to find their way into science-related fields or, specifically, GIS.

“I am that person naturally who wants to pay it forward,” she said. “I know it would have helped me grow more and faster in my career if I had had a champion early on to help me understand the significance of pursuing proposals, navigating situations, or getting involved more in project management.”

Zvolanek participates regularly in Argonne programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and she is grateful for WIST. She actively engages in the educational programs and activities that Argonne hosts in order to introduce girls to STEM careers. Whether that career is in GIS or in support of another field of science, Zvolanek recognizes the value she can bring to young women in search of guidance.

“By the time they get to where I am now, I want there to have been more support along the way,” she said.

In her spare time, Zvolanek immerses herself in another community of friends from Argonne: an Irish folk music group. They lack an official group name, but they practice together regularly and have fun learning the traditional songs. Zvolanek plays six-string guitar. Others play mandolin, banjo, guitar, flute, whistle, harmonica, and even the bodhrain, which is a traditional drum that resembles a tambourine without bells.

“The music isn’t overly complicated and it’s fun and low pressure,” said Zvolanek.

Her advice to young professional women interested in science is “pursue what you are interested in and are passionate about. If you’re the only one who looks like you in any sort of situation, whether it’s gender or race, that can feel isolating. My best advice is push through it because it won’t be that way forever. It will all work out in the end.”

September 2022 Edition

Pam Richmond, Senior Web Developer, EVS

Sometimes, STEM disciplines shift to reflect inclusion of art and creativity. In these rare intersections, the familiar acronym becomes STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). It is in this rare corner where Pam Richmond has carved her career.

Richmond, senior web developer in the Environmental Science (EVS) division, is responsible for managing multiple facets of the websites she designs and develops, from color palettes to code. She also builds highly technical websites visible at all levels of the Department of Energy (DOE). Her website work is credited with improving public involvement in certain programs and more expeditiously sharing information.

Richmond became interested in computer programming in middle school but she always loved art. By the time she entered the College of St. Francis, she elected to major in computer science and minor in art. In the days before an image-rich, broadband Internet, she didn’t imagine the two fields of study would be that relevant to one another.

The opposite, of course, was true, and the narrative of modern web development arced toward the better for those who were creative and tech savvy. Richmond considers herself fortunate to have had a computer programming professor who encouraged the class not to just focus on the keystroke side of things. He emphasized the value of good writing and communication as well.

“That was excellent advice for any career,” said Richmond. “Even if you’re ‘just sitting behind a desk,’ you will interact with people and it’s important to be versatile and flexible. There will always be something to do if you can do a variety of work.”

Staying current with technology is a never-ending challenge for Richmond (and for all programmers), as web technologies and frameworks change quickly. She tries to lean on what she knows well to get her job done efficiently, but she also picks up new skills when opportunities arise.

“It can be difficult to anticipate where trends are headed and which approach will stand the test of time,” said Richmond. “It is impossible to learn everything.”

Her advice to women interested in careers in science or technology is, “Be open to trying new things, and be willing to make mistakes or fail; competence doesn’t come easily, but it’s worth the investment of time and energy to develop yourself.”

Richmond strives to find work-life balance and works part-time to be available for both job and family.

“Sometimes I use vacation time to attend school events or spend time with my daughter,” she said. “I am thankful for the flexibility because, as a result, we are able to share many special memories.”

“I keep working at it, and I find balance in the process,” she continued. “There are a lot of demands for our time and attention. It takes determination and perseverance to keep everything in perspective.”