Moderated by Maya Ajmera, President & CEO of the Society and Publisher of Science News, the panel last month featured several accomplished alumni:  (ISEF 1994), program manager at the National Cancer Institute;  (ISEF 1992-1995), program analyst at the DC Department of Energy and Environment;  (STS 2001, ISEF 2000), associate astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute; . (STS 1994; ISEF 1993), director of partnering products and services at Biotechnology Innovation Organization;  (ISEF 2004-2006), director of the office of petroleum, natural gas and biofuels analysis at the U.S. Energy Information Administration and  (STS 1999), senior advisor to the Chief Information Officer at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

This year, the panelists described the unique experiences and challenges they faced as young science enthusiasts and how family, friends and mentors helped them become who they are today.  

Betsy found her tribe through science fairs and clubs in high school. 鈥淚 had friends and peers who were in the same culture of doing science fairs and environmental clubs. There were cliques, but everyone found their place. I don鈥檛 know that I felt different because I had a base of friends with similar interests.鈥�

John grew up in a town of 2,500 people in South Dakota. He shared that his interest and learning about science came from watching PBS Nova Nature. 鈥淚 grew up on a farm鈥攕o dealing with livestock, machines and building things was a quiet lifestyle. I didn鈥檛 have a fancy lab, but I was interested to learn how elementary school students become interested in science.鈥� He encouraged the young alumni in the audience to be curious and look for learning opportunities.

When asked what they were like in middle or high school, all the panelists shared that they were involved in lots of activities. A few admitted that they did feel different during that time period.

Emil echoed that he enjoyed school, science fair and homework, unlike most of his peers. He also enjoyed typical teenage activities like skating board and playing video games. He also loved sneakers, an emblem of his 90s youth. Emil also shared the benefits of being an engaged student: 鈥淭hrough your interest in science and participation in competitions, you can receive scholarships and find a lucrative career.鈥�

Fellow panelist Minh-Hai added, 鈥淥ne of the judges at my local science competition told me about an internship opportunity, which led me to my current career, one I never thought I would have. I encourage everyone to ask for help. I still ask for help all the time.鈥�

The panelists also shared words of wisdom about handling pressure as students or young professionals. 鈥淟earn the difference between good and bad pressures and find outlets outside of school,鈥� said Molly. Her outlets include spending time outdoors, running and hanging out with her cat.

Betsy added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 okay to fail. You won鈥檛 always be the best at everything. Continue to try, do your best and embrace a growth mindset.鈥�

The main takeaways from the alumni panel were about the importance of being yourself, asking for help when needed and enjoying the process overall. Eventually things fall into place.

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 (1999 ISEF), Executive Director of West Big Data Hub, and member of the National Leadership Council鈥攖he Society鈥檚 special alumni advisory board, moderated the alumni discussion. The five-member panel included: , cofounder and CEO of Windborne Systems (STS 2016, ISEF 2016); , Vice President, Nutrition and Health, Impossible Foods, Inc.(STS 1971); , Partner at Maveron (STS 2006, ISEF 2004-2006, DCYSC 2002) and , Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University. The lively conversation covered a variety of topics ranging from the state of science today, the ethics in the fields of computer science and Artificial Intelligence, the fear of burnout culture and diversity in 91导航.

Anarghya encouraged the young alumni in the audience to appreciate the sheer joy and curiosity of learning rather than just the motive to turn ideas into a business. 鈥淚 know it may seem odd for a venture capitalist to say this, but it feels like science is becoming more commercial, and there is pressure for young students to turn their ideas into companies almost instantly. There is this challenge and dichotomy between science for the sake of learning, curiosity, pleasure and joy of learning, versus how can this be something commercial and turn into a billion-dollar business.鈥�

Paige, the youngest of the panelists shared insights into her development as a young student growing up in a small community in Maine. She admitted that there was a time she didn鈥檛 believe climate change was real. She credits her science teachers and science fair experiences with helping her to find her voice and passions within 91导航 fields. She also shared experiences of feeling burnt out and overwhelmed by all her different activities and interests. Her advice was focusing on a few interests and doing them well instead of many and doing them mediocre. 

Sue shared her personal story and professional journey as a woman in science in the 1970鈥檚. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a road map from my family. When I was in high school, I would hear women are not suited for science. When I got my Ph.D., there weren鈥檛 as many opportunities as men. Science fair gave me the sense that I can do this! I tried and succeeded; that always stayed with me.鈥� She advised the group to find balance, nurture their relationships and explore other interests outside of work.聽

Keith discussed his experience working as a professor, science advocate and being a successful scientist. 鈥淎s a tenure track professor, the parts of my job that are most like the science fair, are only about .01% of what I actually get to do鈥攕o rarely.鈥�

He also described the courses he teaches, and topics covered. In his Computers, Ethics, Public Policy course, he covers concerns such as risk, privacy and surveillance and the ethical implications of decisions.

At the end of the event, Meredith asked the panelists to share their thoughts about the areas of science that call for more intentional advocacy and leadership. Ethics, diversity and inclusion, climate change and fake science news were just a few mentioned. All the speakers agreed that science has value for our community beyond the lab and having a science-literate society is something we should strive to achieve.

Following the alumni panel Maya Ajmera and聽聽(ISEF 1999), former CEO and cofounder of Counsyl, a genetic testing company, held a fireside chat, where Ramji shared his leadership philosophy and his entrepreneurial journey. His advice to individuals wanting to start a company was simple: Identify a聽pain point, an explicit problem that potential customers of are experiencing and find a solution. He said, 鈥淚f you meet customer needs, good things will follow.鈥澛�

Ramji also addressed some of the challenges of being an entrepreneur and supervisor. He shared the experience of dissolving a partnership with one of his cofounders. Ramji stressed that having a solid team and being humble is very important to being successful and creating value overall.

Several themes emerged from both the alumni panel and fireside chat鈥攂e passionate about your ideas, stay true to yourself, relationships are important and find balance outside of work.

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