Chris Diaz
H. I'leníare
Rho Chapter - Spring 2003

Education:
BS Textile Engineering, BA Sociology, MS Textiles

Experience in the field: Textile Technologist for Department of Defense

What interested you in the sciences to begin with? Why do you love it?

I was initially interested in technology because of my grandfather, who built and programmed computers. When I was a kid, he taught me how to use a computer with MS DOS. My primary motivation at the time was to access computer games, but eventually I learned to use the computer for other things. By high school, I had learned a few programming languages. I was on my way to going to college for computer science until my junior year of high school when I saw a presentation by North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles (COT). The COT outreach group did a hands-on demonstration of polymerization reactions. My interest in science and the intrigue of the innovation of materials made the demonstration appealing to me. This demo steered me towards pursuing a degree in textile engineering.

I love working in the textile field because I have an impact on people’s everyday lives. I love that now clothing is more than just clothing because of new technologies. In my current position, I work on improving military clothing and uniforms. This job is extremely rewarding especially because I come from a family with deep military roots.

Cristina Bañuelos
H. Yaratúz
Alpha Chapter - Fall 1994

Education:
BS in Biological Sciences at Cornell University, MS in Biological Sciences at University of Texas, Brownsville

Experience in the field: PhD Candidate in the Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences (IPD) at the University of Florida College of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience

What interested you in the sciences to begin with? Why do you love it?

I have always been fascinated by the process of discovery and was naturally drawn to explore our natural world. Neuroscience is really a new frontier and I am motivated by how little we actually know about the neurobiological mechanisms that make us who we are. I really enjoy the scientific process. I can use my creativity to design experiments that answer relevant questions. I enjoy being in the lab and conducting those experiments and then interpreting results in order to tell a story that will contribute to the greater understanding of a natural process or phenomenon. As a neuroscientist, I can do all the things I loved to do as a kid: imagine, build things, and tell stories. I am also motivated by the possibility of experimental results contributing to the understanding of neurodegenerative conditions that affect millions of people. As an academic researcher I enjoy teaching and mentoring students who are beginning their careers in the sciences. I remember when I was studying science that non of my professors looked like me and how intimidated I was to ask questions or let anyone know that I needed help understanding a concept. I look forward to a career in academic research and having the opportunity to mentor other individuals from disadvantaged ethnic and/or socioeconomic groups knowing, first hand, that diversity in academia enriches the education of all students.

Paola Gómez-Birenbaum
H. Micalia
Kappa Chapter - Fall 1998 Founding Intake Class / Currently: Pi Zeta Chapter

Education:
Undergraduate: Environmental Science and Policy with a minor in Geology
Graduate: Earth Sciences specializing in Micropaleontology and Climatology

Experience in the field: Project Geologist in an Environmental Consulting Firm 

What interested you in the sciences to begin with? Why do you love it?

Science feeds my insatiable appetite for knowledge and understanding. I am not good at sitting in one place for extended periods of time. It helped that most of my classes in both college and graduate school were conducted outside of the classroom setting. At Duke University, the majority of my major classes were conducted in the Duke Forrest and the Appalachian Mountains. During a summer program at the Biosphere Center in Arizona through Columbia University, I spent a summer in Arizonan and Mexican deserts learning about geology and biology by climbing into and back out of the Grand Canyon and studying the estuaries of the Gulf of California. At the University of Southern California, I spent most of my time in laboratories and on ships collecting samples and analyzing samples from offshore. The entire planet was and still is my classroom.

I love what I do mostly because everyday I am pursuing the goal I set as a 10 year old. I have always loved science. I have an innate, and sometimes frustrating, need to understand how things work and why. What drew me to environmental geology was the need to understand how we were impacting our planet but also the opportunity to do something about it. Every day, in some way, I am doing my part to protect our home, my little piece of the planet.

Geology is unique in the sciences because I cannot always physically see what I need to in order to understand the situations I am dealing with. It's comparable to putting together a jigsaw puzzle if you only have about a quarter of the pieces. Of course, at the Grand Canyon, I can climb down and describe the environments that created the various layers we see in the Canyon walls. Realistically, I can't just dig a big hole in the middle of Los Angeles to figure out what is going on just below our feet, particularly since I'm usually working in and around buildings and roads that folks would rather I not tear up. This is where I get to be creative and paint a complete picture with limited information. As an environmental geologist, it is my job to determine if owners or tenants have negatively impacted the ground beneath our feet. If they have, I investigate to determine the extent and nature of those impacts before remediating so that new construction or activities can be conducted on the Property. I am making sure that we clean up our planet, one building or business at a time. I love knowing, that even in a small way, I'm living out my childhood dream of protecting our planet, even if it is just one parcel at a time.

Andrea Duhon
H. Nallasi't
Rho Chapter - Spring 03 Founding Intake Class

Education:BS in Mathematics, BS in Mathematics Education, MA in Mathematics Education, Masters of Philosophy, PhD Candidate Mathematics Education.

Experience in the field: Finalizing PhD. Previously taught mathematics to students 6th grade – college in New York and Florida. I was most recently the At-Risk Programs Director for Lake Howell High School. 

Why Mathematics?

I chose to go in the mathematics route as a way to connect to a culture that I felt an outcast in. When I came here from Colombia, it seemed that numbers was the only consistent thing. I held on to that idea for a long time and used it as a vehicle to learn more and be better at it. From the time I was in the 6th grade I was selected for advance programs and having teachers who believed in me gave me the confidence to pursue math with out ceasing. I was selected to participate in summer camps at colleges and this was the catalyst for my mathematics drive. I was 2 years ahead by the time I was in high school and this only allowed for my fascination to increase. I was exposed to more complex math and quickly realized that mathematics was much deeper than what we learn in school.

I decided to go into teaching because I wanted to share with other students the love I had for math. I wanted to share the unique desire to solve a problem for the sake of the process. It was fascinating to me to spend days at a time on a single problem and struggle to figure out what method to use in order to solve it. While in college I took a number theory class with a cryptology rotation that totally blew my mind. My professor, along with other members of the faculty, was so enthused by these concepts that they made it more exciting to attack every problem.

My mission has been to instill that desire in as many students as I could by providing access to higher-level mathematical thinking at a much younger age.  Unfortunately in high school you do not get exposed to topics that are as exciting as cryptology. And yet, you can use a lot of the basic knowledge to explain concepts to students at a very young age. In fact, I often taught geometry from a very advanced perspective, using information only previewed to me while in grad school.

What interested you in Mathematics initially?

Teachers who taught math in a way that I understood it inspired me. Not speaking English was a challenge and at that time it seemed like I wasn't able to do anything. One particular teacher, Mrs. Nickerson, in the 6th grade never stopped believing that she could teach me and that I could learn. She was so excited about the math that she instilled in me the same passion for learning it.