The Ringmaster
I have always enjoyed science, most especially studies of the stars and planets. My parents bought me my first telescope when I was nine years old. The first thing I did was to use it to look at Jupiter and its moons. As I was growing up I read many books about astronomy, our solar system and the missions that NASA flew to the planets. I always hoped that some day I would be able to work on NASA missions. For a while I even wanted to be an astronaut and go to the Moon!
In junior high and high school I took as many advanced math and science classes as they offered. I felt some pressure not to go into science because, at that time, it was not a field that women traditionally pursued. I was told that science would be too hard for me in college (even though I had done very well in all my classes!) I really liked science, however, and decided to pursue my interests in spite of what other people said. My parents also encouraged me to pursue my interest in science.
I was an undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton where I got my degree in physics. Over two summers I had funding from a National Science Foundation grant to do meteorite research. I worked at the California Institute of Technology with Prof. Dorothy Woolum. She encouraged my development as a scientist.
After I graduated from college I applied for job at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1977 I was hired to work on the Voyager mission. A few months later I was thrilled to watch Voyager launch from Florida.
I worked for 13 years for the Voyager Infrared Team as Voyager flew by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Voyager's discoveries were astounding! I used some of the Voyager data on Saturn's rings to write my master's thesis. I really enjoyed the research aspect of my job. I realized, however, that in order to conduct my own research I needed to get my Ph.D. I went to graduate school at UCLA and got a Ph.D. in geophysics and space physics in 1992. Now I am able to pursue my own research on rings and join science teams on planetary missions like the Cassini mission to Saturn.
I am currently the Cassini Deputy Project Scientist and a member of the Cassini Composite Infrared Team. I have worked on Cassini since 1988. My responsibilities include helping the project put together the best science possible for the four years Cassini will spend in orbit around the planet Saturn. Studying planets like Saturn helps us understand more about the Earth. By studying the atmosphere and winds of a giant planet like Saturn we may be able to better predict the Earth's weather. Saturn's moon Titan has an atmosphere that contains hydrocarbons and other compounds that may represent the building blocks for life. By studying Titan we may get a better understanding of how life evolved on the early Earth. Cassini will be making observations of Saturn, Saturn's rings, icy moons, the large moon Titan and the magnetosphere. Cassini will also drop a European-built probe named Huygens into Titan's atmosphere.
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I am really looking forward to Cassini's arrival at Saturn in July, 2004. Cassini will be able to answer many of the questions we now have about the Saturn system.
As a research scientist, my primary interest is in understanding ring systems and how they work. Saturn's rings are made up of millions of particles ranging in size from dust to large boulders. Many of these ring particles are affected by the moons that orbit outside them. The gravity from the moons causes the ring particles to bump into each other and create interesting patterns in the rings such as waves and wakes. Science and math are involved in modeling ring systems.
During a typical day I spend some time in meetings discussing how best to use the Cassini spacecraft. I also spend time talking to other scientists about what they would like to see Cassini do at Saturn. For my research, I run computer models and try to match the models to the data from the rings that the Voyager spacecraft sent back to Earth in the 1980s. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is the opportunity to study the rings and learn new things about how they work.
I have two daughters, Jennifer, 22, and Jessica, 19. They were with me when Cassini launched and liked seeing it very much. I enjoy hiking and playing volleyball. One of my favorite places to hike is in Yosemite. I also enjoy traveling with my husband Tom. We like exploring new places together. We have also both tried sky-diving and bungy-jumping and really liked them!
I would encourage young women to listen to themselves and follow their dreams. If I had listened to those around me who tried to discourage my interests in science, I would have missed the opportunity to be part of the scientific search for new knowledge.
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