Women in Science - Online Interviews

Dr. Joan T. Schmelz

1. Give a brief description of your job telling what you do, (a day in your life) but also what you do specifically in your position.

I am an astronomer, which means I try to understand the physics of astronomical objects like stars, galaxies, black holes, and quasars. My particular specialty is the Sun, the star that dominates our solar system and is responsible for all life on Earth. In particular, I study the Sun's mysterious hot, million degree atmosphere, the solar corona, a natural source of X-rays. In order to study this high energy "light," however, the telescopes used must be in orbit, since X-rays generated by astronomical objects cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. One such telescope was aboard the Solar Maximum Mission, a NASA satellite designed and built to study the Sun with an international complement of seven instruments. I spent five years at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as part of the scientific team that operated one of those instruments-the X-ray spectrometer.
Now, as research associate professor in the physics department at the University of Memphis, I am more involved with students. I both teach and do research using data from rockets and satellites. These satellites include Yohkoh, a Japanese satellite whose name means "sunbeam," and SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency.

2. How did you decide upon your career? When did you know you wanted to do it and how did you prepare for it?

I knew I wanted to be an astronomer by the age of seven, when I discovered a map of the solar system in the drawer of my mother's desk. The pictures printed on the map were primitive compared with the fantastic images available today, but they captured my imagination and I never forgot them.
To prepare for a career in astronomy, I took as much math and science as I could. I started algebra in the 8th grade, and took honors courses that gave me the solid background required to major in physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I went on to get a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Penn State University before arriving at NASA to continue my research career.

3. What is the best thing about your job?

It is astonishing to discover something that no one else has ever seen before! That's what scientists do. I am still mesmerized by astronomy, whether I am looking up at the star-lit sky on a dark, clear night, looking through a telescope at a galaxy I have never seen before, doing astronomical research on the solar corona, or surfing the Internet for the latest images from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The job market is tight right now and there are so many astronomers who do not have a secure position, including me. I try to remain optimistic, however, since I am quite sure that things will open up in a few years.

4. As a kid, what kinds of things did you do to prepare for this job? What books did you read or what things did you do that let you know you would like this field?

See question 2

5. Was there any person (parent, teacher, mentor, professor) you felt influenced you to pursue this field?

I think I had the support of a lot of people-my mother, Elizabeth Nelsen Schmelz, who assured me that I could do anything I wanted, my favorite high school science teacher, Ross W. Medlar, my college advisor, Alan S. Meltzer, my husband, Gerrit L. Verschuur, and my supervisors at NASA, Julia L.R. Saba and Keith T. Strong.

6. What advice do you have for young women who might be interested in the field of science?

Go for it! Take all the math and science you can in high school, study hard for the SATs, and find a school with a good track record for graduating women with physics majors. The University of Memphis is such a school.

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1.	Give a brief description of your job telling what you do, (a day in your life) but also what you do specifically in your position.
	I am an astronomer, which means I try to understand the physics of astronomical objects like stars, galaxies, black holes, and quasars. My particular specialty is the Sun, the star that dominates our solar system and is responsible for all life on Earth. In particular, I study the Sun's mysterious hot, million degree atmosphere, the solar corona, a natural source of X-rays. In order to study this high energy "light," however, the telescopes used must be in orbit, since X-rays generated by astronomical objects cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. One such telescope was aboard the Solar Maximum Mission, a NASA satellite designed and built to study the Sun with an international complement of seven instruments. I spent five years at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as part of the scientific team that operated one of those instruments-the X-ray spectrometer. Now, as research associate professor in the physics department at the University of Memphis, I am more involved with students. I both teach and do research using data from rockets and satellites. These satellites include Yohkoh, a Japanese satellite whose name means "sunbeam," and SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency.
2.	How did you decide upon your career? When did you know you wanted to do it and how did you prepare for it?
	I knew I wanted to be an astronomer by the age of seven, when I discovered a map of the solar system in the drawer of my mother's desk. The pictures printed on the map were primitive compared with the fantastic images available today, but they captured my imagination and I never forgot them. To prepare for a career in astronomy, I took as much math and science as I could. I started algebra in the 8th grade, and took honors courses that gave me the solid background required to major in physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I went on to get a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Penn State University before arriving at NASA to continue my research career.
3.	What is the best thing about your job?
	It is astonishing to discover something that no one else has ever seen before! That's what scientists do. I am still mesmerized by astronomy, whether I am looking up at the star-lit sky on a dark, clear night, looking through a telescope at a galaxy I have never seen before, doing astronomical research on the solar corona, or surfing the Internet for the latest images from the Hubble Space Telescope. The job market is tight right now and there are so many astronomers who do not have a secure position, including me. I try to remain optimistic, however, since I am quite sure that things will open up in a few years.
4.	As a kid, what kinds of things did you do to prepare for this job? What books did you read or what things did you do that let you know you would like this field?
	See question 2
5.	Was there any person (parent, teacher, mentor, professor) you felt influenced you to pursue this field?
	I think I had the support of a lot of people-my mother, Elizabeth Nelsen Schmelz, who assured me that I could do anything I wanted, my favorite high school science teacher, Ross W. Medlar, my college advisor, Alan S. Meltzer, my husband, Gerrit L. Verschuur, and my supervisors at NASA, Julia L.R. Saba and Keith T. Strong.
6.	What advice do you have for young women who might be interested in the field of science?
	Go for it! Take all the math and science you can in high school, study hard for the SATs, and find a school with a good track record for graduating women with physics majors. The University of Memphis is such a school.