Recently, I shared a meal with a wonderful young woman named Scarlet, an astronomy student at Cornell University. She had come to this year's American Astronomical Society meeting in Rochester, N.Y., to talk to me about her interest in an astronomy career. We talked about everything from surviving physics classes to taking full advantage of the college dating scene. During our talk, I looked over at this beautiful, talented, energetic young woman who was so ready to take on the challenges of science. I exactly remembered that wonderful feeling of wide-open potential, and I wondered what had happened to it.
Astronomy is a competitive, high-pressure profession.
It's a profession that favors aggressive, politically astute, independent people. Still, both men and women find this attractive. Like it or not, men and women are socialized differently. This really hit me in the face when I began to study physics at Harvard. Now, I'm a natural extrovert, and I don't shy away from a good argument.