Chat with Catherine Collins 2/11/97

Catherine- How long does it take to get you masters degree in psychology?

If you can go full-time, it only takes about two years to get an M.A. in
psychology. I have not finished mine, yet, but plan to next school year.
Lots of schools offer master's programs in psychology so there are a lot
of options.

Catherine, as a middle school science teacher, constantly trying to
motivate students, I would like to know what you remember as your most
positive influence in school. 

I cannot think of one thing that was my most positive experience.
Fortunately, I always
enjoyed learning. I had some excellent teachers early on. I remember most
positively the ones that were excited about teaching and very *kind*. I
was easily intimidated and it helped a lot if the teacher was nice. I also
liked team-playing rather than individual competition. I found it more
encouraging.

What other kinds of things do you remember teachers doing that made your
studying exciting?

Another thing that made studying exciting was being allowed to go at my
own pace. In the 3rd grade I was allowed to go out in the hallway and work
on an 8th grade math book and a 5th grade reading book. When I was allowed
to do this, when I was not challenged, I got bored very quickly. In high
school, I enjoyed writing essays as opposed to fill-in-the-blanks.
Everyone has their strengths and mine is learning conceptually, rather
than learning facts (I have a *horrible* memory).

Have you ever been in space? Did you apply to be an astronaut?

I very much want to go to space but don't know if I ever will. Astronaut
training is very tough and I am not willing to spend that much time away
from my family right now.
I have only been to space in my dreams. I would love to go but I don't
think it's likely.

I have a few questions from my Brownie troop. We're studying careers. How
do you take pictures in space? 

In unpiloted spacecraft, such as Galileo, pictures are taken through a
"sequence" of computer commands that tell the camera which filter to use,
how long to open the shutter -- so how much light to let in, where to
point, etc. We do all the calculations ahead of time here on Earth.

If you found another planet what would you name it ?

That's a tough one! I've never thought of it. I'll think about it -- ask
me again later.

What is your favorite planet?

Does someone in your family want to work like you do in NASA?

 I don't know if anyone in my family wants to work at NASA. They all think
it is really cool that I do, though. Maybe, one day one of my nephews or
my neice will work for the space program. That would be neat.

What do you to the way you can pick up languages so easily. did you speak
a foreign language when you were very young?

I did not know any languages when I was young but I always enjoyed reading
English and learning new words. I also *really* like to communicate with
people and learn about them. I guess I figure the best way to do that with
the most people is to learn other languages!

Do you think you were born smart as in genetically or do you think you
parents did certain things that helped you? Doing 8th grade math in 3rd
grade is pretty amazing

My parents were always encouraging when it came to learning. When I would
be out on errands with my mother and I would get bored, she would make up
math problems (addition and subtraction) for me to do. Also, I was never
very athletic and funneled a lot of my energy into reading and school. As
to 8th grade math in 3rd grade, I'd be surprised if more kids couldn't do
it if only they got the chance. I found out a few years ago that the
school that did that stopped a few years after we moved from the area. I
worry that there are a bunch of really bored kids there who aren't being
challenged and aren't living up to their potential.

How many hours do you work? are you on a deadline?

I work between 40 and 60 hours in a week. Since I got married, I try to
keep it closer to the 40-45 mark. I am RalwaysSunder a deadline, many of
them self-imposed.

We read some studies that said that if children are not exposed to foreign
languages at a very young age they will never speak the language like a
native speaker. Do you speak all those languages fluently now - latin,
french, spanish and german???

No, I don't speak any language like a native, or even very well, other
than English (my native tongue). I would like to expose my children to
other languages early on for that very reason. I am much better at reading
other languages than I am at speaking them (performance anxiety?). 

How much money could I hope to make as an engineer at NASA?

I am not sure, but I think engineers coming out of school start around
$35,000 per year in this area. It sounds like a lot but Los Angeles is a
very expensive place to live.
I believe engineers start at about $35K per year. Maybe less in other
areas. Maybe more with advanced degrees. I don't know what the limit is --
in corporate America engineers can go into 6 figures ($100K) if they
advance.

How does it feel to be a woman in the field of work that you do

 Tough one! Same as it feels to be a woman in a car, or the grocery store,
or hiking in the mountains. I don't think I feel different as a woman
because of the type of work I do. I'll have to think about it.

What is your advice to young students who have a math phobia, and are
convinced they "just can't do it?"

How long did you go to college?

I went to college for 7 years after high school. Then, I went back while
working to study
psychology.

How come you went back to get a degree in psychology when you were doing
work in space and science?

I went back to school for psychology to pull in my interest in people and
what makes them tick. I am very curious about what interests people and
makes them pay attention and learn. This is a perfect skill for outreach.
I went into outreach by chance but it ends up being a good combination of
science and psychology. When I studied psychology I did not know what I
was going to do with it or how very much it would help me in my life and
current career.

Is your job more exciting now or when you first started ?

 My job is much more interesting now because I know more and am exposed to
more in my current position.

What coures do you suggest for anyone who is interested in Being a NASA
engineer?

 If you are talking about high school, take lots of science and math --
definately take calculus. My high school did not offer it and it made it
tough. All kinds of science is
important because there are lots of kinds of engineering and taking
science will help you decide which one to study.

Why did you choose to become Chhief of Opportunity and Outreach?

 Truthfully, I went into engineering because I was good at math, liked
physics, and several of my friends were going into engineering. I also
thought it would be hard -- at that time I confused "difficult" with
"challenging". These are actually two very different things but I did not
understand that when I was 17.


What is your favorite thing to do at work?

My favorite thing at work is that I get to constantly learn new things and
then translate them into words that everyone can understand. Then I get to
share all of this great info with other people.

Did you ever take a Drafting course?

I took a drafting class my freshman year in college.

I would like to know how you became interested in engineering?

I do not mean to pry into your personal life, but, I like to know what
everyone's favorite color is. So, if it is not to personal, what is your
favorite color?

Not too personal. My favorite color varies from purple to blue to green,
depending on the day.

 When you say you chose engineering because you were interested in math,
what kind of math was your favorite?

 I liked all kinds of math but particularly liked algebra in high school.

Would you be interested in going in to space on a shuttle that you
contributed to?

 I've never contributed to a Space Shuttle mission but I would be
interested in going on a flight! Really, I'd like to go to Mars or
Jupiter. :)

Who motivated you through all of the hard work you did?

 Lots of things. Sometimes it was fun. Sometimes, unfortunately, it was
fear of
failure. Mostly it is this feeling that I must work hard in order to
appreciate myself.

What is your favorite language that you have learned?

Latin helped me learn everything else. My mother's father was from Germany
so I got
to use it when I met my cousins. Spanish is a lovely language that simply
rolls off your tongue -- the easiest to speak. French is the language of
romance and has many intriguing subtleties.

 I think we are given a lot of messages early on that math is hard. Math
is just another language and we only have to learn the words (symbols) in
order to communicate with it. When I help students, I always tell them all
the things they already know -- how to figure out what a sale price is if
it's 10% off, how much 1/4 of a pie is if you are sharing with a friend,
etc. Also, it is not important to be good at every area of math. This is
important because algebra and geometry are very very different and require
totally different ways of thinking.

What is your advice to young students?

My advise to young students is to be nice to yourselves. It can be very
stressful to learn new things and it's too easy to feel like a dummy.
Different things come easily to
different people. Some people are good at math, some at social studies,
some at gym, some at art (I stank at art). Concentrate on what you like
and/or what you are good at and work at the rest but don't beat yourself
up if you have to work harder to learn some things than others.

You said in your bio that you were most proud of the pictures you took of
the meteorite hitting Jupiter (if I remember that right!), What other
accomplishments are you most proud of?

I took pictures of a comet (Shoemaker-Levy 9) running into Jupiter. It was
great! I am also proud of maintaining my sense of self and my integrity in
this difficult world. That is of grave importance to me.

Have you seen a meteorite? In what way did you see it? From a space ship,
telescope, camera, naked eye or other instrument? 

 A meteorite is the remains of a meteor that landed on the Earth. I have
seen them in person and in pictures but never through a microscope (except
pictures). A meteor is a meteoroid that has entered the atmosphere -- a
shooting star -- I have seen those out at night. A meteoroid is a rocky
body that orbits the sun but is smaller than an asteroid. I have never
seen one of those.

If you had kids what would you do to motivate them to do well in school
and outside of school?

 I will encourage my kids to feel confident in themselves, to enjoy life
and learning, and to feel secure in their lives. If someone has that,
she/he can accomplish anything!

When is Nasa's next trip to the moon?

NASA's next unpiloted solar system launch is Cassini to Saturn. It
launches in October, I think.

What is the Stardust project hoping to achieve?

Stardust is a comet sample return mission. It will fly into the tail of
comet Wild-2 and collect some of the material and bring it back to Earth.
Visit our web page for more info 

Is it difficult to talk to the public and schools?

 It is not intimidating to speak at schools or in public as long as I know
what I am talking about. If I am sharing something I know, I feel really
confident. If I am trying to act, I get really nervous.

What is your favorite part about your job?

I am in fifth grade and I like science alot. Do you think there will be a
job for me when I graduate from college?

Tthere is always work for someone who wants to be in science. With the
rise of high-tech companies, you are sure to find something great.

Mrs. Collins, thank you for allowing us an opportunity to converse with
you. Your time and your answers to our questions are greatly apreciated. I
hope that one day you get to go into outer space, experience what it is
really like, and to enjoy, not saying that you do not enjoy what you are
doing, the benefits of you labor. Well, there is not a fat lady in our
class, but, our time is almost up. I hope you enjoy conversating with us,
the students, and you being the teacher, today. Maybe, we will be able to
communicate with you one day later on in life, as for now see you later.
Hasta luego! 

Thanks for all your answers and being so honest. You are a great model of
womanhood! All the best to you in your future endeavors! :)