Profiles

Kim Tait

Kim Tait, a student working in LANSCE Division, received one of the top five scholarships from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO). PEO is a philanthropic organization that promotes educational opportunities for women. The scholarship is given to students to pursue graduate study. Kim is a Ph.D. student conducting her research work at LANL.

The PEO scholarship

The Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO) was founded on January 21, 1869. Today, it has grown from an original membership of seven to more than a quarter of a million members in chapters throughout the United States and Canada, with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa.

PEO projects include Educational Loan Fund (ELF), International Peace Scholarship Fund, Program for Continuing Education, and Scholar Awards. This year, PEO gave out 85 $10,000 scholarships. Kim was named as a recipient of one of the top five scholarships.

With friendship as its cornerstone, PEO continues to be a source of encouragement and support for women to realize their potential in whatever worthwhile endeavor they choose. To date, nearly 70,000 women have benefited from the organization's educational projects.

Her research at LANL

Kim is a graduate of the University of Manitoba where she earned a B.S. and M.S. in geology. She received the International Centre for Diffraction Data Ludo Frevel Scholarship in 2004 and in 2005, was one of five chosen worldwide, and has discovered two new minerals that have been approved by the International Mineralogical Association.

She started her Ph.D. in January 2003. Although she is a student at the University of Arizona, Kim conducts her research here at LANL. Her thesis topic is on gas hydrates (clathrates) that have been proposed as a possible energy source for the future. She has been here at the Lab for three years. The type of research she does is not available at most universities, so Kim is grateful for the opportunities that she has been able to pursue at LANSCE. Her mentor is Yusheng Zhao in the LANSCE-LC Division.

According to Kim, "You can't just apply for the scholarship. You have to go through a pre-selection process and be nominated by a PEO chapter."

Nominated by the Chapter BB in Tucson, she is the recipient of the Norah L. Wallace Named Scholar Award for 2005–2006. She was asked to speak at the Arizona State Chapter Meeting representing the Arizona Scholar Award winners. Kim gave a 10-minute speech to approximately 400 attendees covering topics such as who she is and what she is working on.

"Of course, I took the opportunity to say great things about LANL and show some pictures of me coaching hockey, they loved that!" she said. Los Alamos has a PEO Chapter in Los Alamos, and Kim also has been invited to a few of their events.

Her background, future goals

Kim grew up in Canada and the United States and knew from a young age that she wanted to be a geologist. When, at the age of 12, she went rock collecting with a neighbor, her path was set.

As for her future goals, she wants to be sure that her career has a direct application to society, whether in academia, at a national Laboratory, or in industry. During the winter months, she is the assistant director and coach of the Atoms hockey program, an introductory hockey program for kids aged 3 to 12. The program has been running for three years, averaging approximately 100 kids each year.

Kim's other hobbies include playing football, softball, and keeping up with her rambunctious two-year old border collie. She has previously enjoyed volunteering for the Humane Society, judging science fairs, and encouraging young kids in the field of geology.

She feels strongly that alternative sources of fuel need to be pursued and that more money needs to be put into research for developing these sources. "With fossil fuels in limited supply, and if the world keeps using conventional oil and gas sources at the rate they are now, more research and development focus needs to be put into alternative fuel sources," she said.

More information on PEO can be found at http://www.peointernational.org/ .