 What is your current job and what does it entail?
I am a Ph.D. student and a graduate research assistant. During the school year, I take classes and work with a team of researchers writing science curricula. Specifically, I am cowriting an eighth grade unit on energy and also rewriting a seventh grade unit on water. In addition to these projects, I work for Michigan Sea Grant, writing grant proposals and providing expertise as a marine scientist and educator for instructional web materials and other projects. For my dissertation, I am thinking about focusing on the question: How can we best support teachers in teaching science that has social implications and impacts? I still have a year to a year and a half of course work to finish and then hope to complete the degree in a year or so after that.
What was the key factor in your career decision?
I have been teaching for a long time and love it. Right after finishing my undergraduate degree I taught physics and math in Virginia. From there I shifted my teaching focus to outdoor adventures and leading trips for kids. I led Outward Bound trips in North Carolina and the Florida Everglades. Then after earning my masters degree I taught on board the SSV Westward through the Semester at Sea program in Woods Hole, MA, and for a scuba diving program in the Bahamas. Upon recovering my land legs, I began teaching earth science at a small college in North Carolina. This is what ultimately led me to pursuing a Ph.D., as I found that I really enjoy working with young adults. The bottom line is that I want to do something I believe will make a difference for people and for the environment.
What do like most about your career?
I really enjoy working with other people who care about marine and other aquatic resources. I also enjoy helping people learn new ways of thinking and new skills.
What do you like least about your career?
Let's just say that I'm excited for the time when my PhD work is behind me and I can move back into the world of working with students on a daily basis.
What do you do to relax?
Bike, hike, read, swim, canoe, cook, listen to live music and visit with friends.
Who are your heroes/heroines?
People who follow their own dreams, not necessarily paying attention to the status-quo.
What advice would you give a high school student who expressed an interest in pursuing a career in your field?
in your field? Get to know a lot of people, including those who are different from you. Doing so will allow you to see things from many perspectives. With our country's schools as diverse as they are, this is an important quality/skill. Also, take science classes in geology, physics, chemistry and biology. You won't know which interests you the most until you try them all.
Are career opportunities in your field increasing or decreasing and why?
There seems to always be an increasing need for teachers, especially good teachers who know/care about their subject matter as well as about their students.
What will you be doing 10 years from today?
I will be teaching at a small college and/or running an outreach program for a larger educational entity. Hopefully, I'll also be living near a body of water and enjoying time in/on/under it!
Email:switzera@umich.edu
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