Ask An Expert
An advice column featuring our STEM experts, who are here to answer all your questions about studying, working, and being a human being in the world of STEM.
It seems like even entry level positions require prior experience these days. I work in the summers to fund my education, how can I prove I am qualified for these jobs without internships?
Which has been more valuable in your career, your education or your experience?
Many jobs in STEM require frequent presentations but I get nervous easily. How can I learn to be a more confident public speaker?
What were you most surprised by in post-undergrad life?
life in school to juggling bills, work, and finding a place to live. Personally, the biggest shock was taking on responsibilities that my parents had been taking care of while I was in school, like car insurance, health insurance, and car payments. It also surprised me how difficult it was to keep in touch with friends from school as we all scattered to the wind.
don’t use any of this stuff we’re learning. You’ll learn what you really need on the job.” However, I have found that this is only partially the case. While you won’t spend your time doing the same simple problems you do in class, you will use the problem solving and fundamental understanding in your job. I was surprised by how much I didn’t know when I went into the professional world, and I was equally surprised at how much school really helped me when I looked past just trying to get the work done.
Finally, a caution for recent graduates: imposter syndrome is a real thing. The important thing to remember is that no one expects you to be perfect. No one expects you to know and understand everything in your new job. They’ve hired you not because of your specific knowledge, but because of your capacity and willingness to learn. You did the work. You deserve to be here.”- Brian Mack

Brian Mack is an early career Electrical Engineer for Raytheon Intelligence and Space. He got his Bachelor’s in both Electrical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. Brian have a passion for space systems and is continuing his education to better position himself for working in the Aerospace industry. Throughout Brian’s career, he developed skills in programming, design, communication, and advanced research and development. He has worked on numerous different systems with people from many different backgrounds. Through diversity, Brian and his teammates have solved problems with unique solutions.
How do I explain a prolonged absence on my resume or an abnormally low GPA in one semester on my internship applications?
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Nicole Jackson is a technologist. In her latest role, she will apply sentiment analysis to machine learning to support market research and product innovation for some of the largest brands in the world. Nicole is currently a part-time student pursuing her Ed.D. with a concentration in Mind, Brain, and Learning in support of her interest in neuropedagogy and learning technologies. Nicole Jackson is one of 125 women within the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s IF/THEN Network and has been featured by Google Arts and Culture, California Academies of Sciences, and the International Surgical Science Museum in physical and virtual STEM exhibits.

Jeanie Nguyen is a healthcare strategist at Gilead Sciences. Jeanie’s work focuses on healthcare access, equity, and innovation. With a breadth of experience in the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, Jeanie has worked across product lifecycles from early planning/R&D, launching new products/commercialization, to sunsetting products. She was pre-med while earning her Bachelor’s Degree at Harvard University, but has since applied her STEM interest at the intersection of healthcare and business. From a first generation/low income background, Jeanie is passionate about mentoring and helping others navigate the education system and intern/job applications.
When you look back on your undergraduate experience what do you miss and what don’t you miss?
Dr. Ariel Leslie is a native of the DFW metroplex. Upon graduation from Plano East Senior High, she attended Texas Southern University in Houston, TX, where she obtained a BS in Mathematics and Health Studies. Dr. Leslie then received her doctoral degree of University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, TX, in December of 2019. She studied and published in the area of computational/mathematical neuroscience, specifically Mathematical Modeling of G1D Glucose Transport Deficiency Epilepsy with a focus on EEG patterns to help identify the plausible mechanism that causes G1D epileptic behavior. While in graduate school, she was one of eleven National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) scholars. Dr. Leslie obtained awards for her research and teaching abilities. She is currently a Data Analyst at Lockheed Martin. Dr. Leslie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, volunteering, and teaching children all about STEM. Sharing crucial information about education and helping others is her true life passion.
What course do you wish they offered in undergrad but didn’t and why?
Amanda Finn is a Ph.D. student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the Department of Nutrition Sciences. She was fascinated by the human body in her early education, and intended to become a podiatrist until her junior year of college. She read a peer-reviewed article discussing the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and was motivated to keep asking questions about insulin resistance. Amanda then received research experience and professional development training through the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) program at her undergraduate institution, California State University Long Beach. She decided to apply to doctoral programs that would allow her to study clinical populations and continue to learn about insulin resistance, endocrinology, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Amanda currently works with Barbara Gower, Ph.D., and is narrowing her research interests for her master’s thesis and eventual dissertation. She is open to different future career opportunities and wants to become a strong leader that can give back to underrepresented communities wherever she ends up. She hopes to give students a positive mentee experience with inSTEM because she experienced firsthand the benefits of mentorship throughout her education.
What tools or strategies do you use to balance work and life?
Jeanie Nguyen’s work focuses on healthcare access, equity, and innovation. With a breadth of experience in the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, Jeanie has worked across product lifecycles from early planning/R&D, launching new products/commercialization, to sunsetting products. She was pre-med while earning her Bachelor’s Degree at Harvard University, but has since applied her STEM interest at the intersection of healthcare and business. From a first generation/low income background, Jeanie is passionate about mentoring and helping others navigate the education system and intern/job applications.
When interviewing for post grad job opportunities what words or phrases during the interview should I be listening for to indicate that this is a good opportunity vs. bad opportunity?
Mr. Robert Jaynes is a Mechanical Engineering Manager in Robotics and Automation at Omnicell. He has 25+ years of design experience, creating automation for the Plastics and Medical Healthcare Industries. In the course of that time, Mr. Jaynes has been granted several U.S. and Canadian patents as an inventor for medical tools, packaging automation and robot guidance systems. His passion is innovation. Philadelphia is his hometown and Pittsburgh is his post-college residence.
Which soft skills did you have the most difficulty developing?
Ms. Cook-Robinson is a privacy and compliance professional who has 20 years of progressive experience in healthcare privacy and compliance focusing on privacy, security, privacy management, digital health and health IT, and data governance. She is passionate about protecting consumers, achieving legal compliance, and enabling companies to innovate and grow. Ms. Cook-Robinson aims to always contribute in a way to simply bring out the best in herself and others.
Was there ever a role you applied for and landed, but didnt feel 100% qualified to do?
When and how did you figure out what you wanted to pursue as a career?
What is something you wish someone told you after graduating from undergrad?
Do you have any tips on how to give and accept constructive criticism?
What is your best advice for someone about to start their Ph.D.?
What is your philosophy on learning and how do you approach learning something new?
“Learning is a fundamental human activity. From the moment when we take our first breath, our bodies and brains are engaged in learning new things: how to get our mother’s attention when we are hungry, how to defy gravity by learning to stand and walk, how to read, and so on until the end of our days. I believe that continuous learning is essential to happiness and perhaps even survival, whether we are college students, professionals at work or enjoying retirement. How boring would life be without the daily delight of a new word, new route to work, new cooking technique, new data point, a new algorithm?”
“I think of learning in different categories, each requiring a different approach: academic learning, physical learning, and fun learning. For academic learning, I figured out that I need a lot of repetition. Especially if I am not familiar with the subject or simply don’t care about it. For this type of learning, my most impactful approach is to get a tutor or join a study group so that I can be exposed to a few different ways of looking at the subject at hand. My study groups in college are probably the number 1 reason why I was able to graduate. Some of my classes were very difficult and the professors did not have time to explain things in a way that I could process, so I would look for other students or teaching assistants who could. The more a concept or process would show up in my academic career, the better I got at it. I also noticed that when I delved deep into a subject I would start to dream of the answers to problems, or become more proficient in a language. This type of learning prepared me for my professional career. I have learned that my best way of excelling at a job is to learn from as many people and documents as possible, let all the information ‘be loose’ in my brain, then organize it with repetition. Physical learning is much more difficult for me. I am not naturally athletic and moving my body in ways that are unnatural to the way I learned to move as a child are a continuous challenge. However, I have learned that when my brain hurts from trying to learn line dancing, tennis, or hiking a difficult terrain (well, difficult for me…) it means that my brain is developing new pathways which are essential for brain and body health as I age. Getting a good night’s sleep is required for recovery and processing for both academic and physical learning. Fun learning is the everyday joy of figuring out something new. This takes very little effort and gives me great pleasure. Reading the newspaper, talking with strangers, trying a new craft or even watching a (high quality!!) youtube video are eclectic ways of keeping the mind and body engaged. It can also be very relaxing to learn something random. And you never know when you will use the information in a trivia game.” – Mayra Montrose

How do you contend with anxiety on the job or in school?
“I think the first thing that should be done is acknowledging that you are having an anxious thought or feeling. From recognition comes understanding, and by understanding how anxiety manifests itself within your mind and body you can build a healthy management strategy. For me I always try to first determine if there is anything that I can do about my perceived ‘source’ of anxiety. Sometimes this is possible, but oftentimes there is nothing ‘in particular’ that is causing my anxiety, it is just a general feeling. Or I am anxious about something that I have no control over whatsoever.”
“For manageable cases I will often try a few anxiety techniques. Controlled breathing, going for a walk, talking to a friend, hugging my cat. For the times where I can affect the source I will try and enact a plan to do that. For example, if I am anxious about a presentation, I can practice in front of peers, I can reread and edit it, and/or I can record myself saying it. Just remember that confronting your anxiety is an act of bravery that you do not need to do on your own.” – John Montalbo

What role do you think science communicators will play in the coming years in development of policy and how can we become better science communicators for our communities?
“Science communicators must be focused on building community in science in order to become better science communicators for our community. It sounds simple, but community building must be done intentionally, genuinely, and in a way that is culturally responsive to the community that we are seeking to serve. Policies are rules and guidelines that can impact people, and we need to get to the core of our communities to understand what other people want and need to thrive and be properly informed and educated.” – Raven Baxter

Raven Baxter
How do you juggle your long-term goals with your short-term tasks and needs?
“Planning is an important step in achieving short- and long-term goals. I highly recommend making a to-do list based on priorities. For example, if a student is applying to graduate school while finishing undergraduate students, I would suggest generating a checklist with all the different requirements for the application process such as letter of recommendations, writing personal statements, etc. Each week, the student can accomplish a small goal while keeping tracking of the current assignments and responsibilities to finish their undergraduate degree. In addition, I suggest tapping into their networks (peers, mentors, and advisors) to play important roles in the long-term goals such as asking others to review and edit personal statements. It is very important to create a weekly calendar to reach small but attainable goals. At end of the process all the small steps will add up to complete the major goal.” – Mary Garcia-Cazarin

Mary Garcia-Cazarin
How do you cultivate wellness in times of heightened stress?

Tarek Fadel is Assistant Director at the MIT Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine. Dr. Fadel also serves in board and advisory roles in at the Yale Graduate School Alumni Association and the MIT Science Policy Review.
What was a moment in your career where you felt stuck, and what did you do to help you in that situation?
Diana Pankevich serves as the Director of Innovation Policy at Pfizer