The Life of a Female Physicist: Why STEM Education is Essential For Women
“My advice to the young learners is that do not start with a mindset that Physics is hard. It’s the core of our natural being, and its understating our real world around us.” Physics is a field we do not see many woman go into, and today’s woman dreamer, Snehalata Kadam, Ph.d., wants to see us change that. An Assistant Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Snehalata shares her passion for educating women about the world of STEM, her exciting Yoga Meets Physics project, and of course, we had to ask who her favorite Big Bang Theory Character is. Enjoy her empowering story below!
1)You are a physicist, and have worked at Caltech and currently an Assistant Professor at WPI. What inspired you to go into physics? Were you always passionate about science?
I am a problem solver, learner and educator and have always believed in interdisciplinary cross- connections. The ecosystem of science bears no glass ceilings or walls, and allows the individual to thrive and prosper within its architecture. Mother nature enables us to appreciate its breadth and beauty through its diversity. This diversity is enabled by the amalgamation of biological and physical sciences. As my career progressed, having an open mind allowed me to pivot towards the field of Physics. I started appreciating that these subjects are silos, but that science is seamless. No boundaries! Biological sciences greatly relies on physical sciences and our living systems rely completely on natural laws. This process of thinking made me a biophysicist.
Since my preteens, my fascination for the world around me captivated my interest in science. I would question what made my voice so similar to my mom’s but my physical features are like my dad’s? Delving deeper in to the essence of questions like this sparked my passion in science.
2) Physics is a field that women do not often go into. There have been a lot of initiatives initially regarding women in STEM though. What is your advice to young women/scientists who may be interested in physics?
In my day to day interactions with students, I convey one strong message that “Nothing is impossible ”if you put your heart and soul in it. As I started my scientific career at Caltech, one of the conference picture blew me away. In Physics, Solvay Conference is one of the most prestigious Physics conferences in the field. If you look at the 1927 attendees, the conference that was dubbed as most intelligent picture of the century, had only one women (Marie Curie) in the frame. If you fast forward to the 2017 conference, there a only a handful of women. That’s my motivation! We do not have to wait for another 100 years to see the equality. My advice to the young learners is that do not start with a mindset that Physics is hard. It’s the core of our natural being, and its understating our real world around us. The recourses are ample these days, make yourself comfortable from the very beginning. There are so many instances, where we use Physics in our day-to-day lives. To this end one of my projects I developed was “Yoga Meets Physics”. I worked with 8 high school girls during summer and taught Newtonian Laws through the simple yoga poses.
3) How do you aim to guide your female students/young women interested in becoming physicists/pursuing STEM careers?
“Start early” is what has been proven through education research, so my aim is to engage with the high school students and 1st year undergrad students. I want to change the mindset. Physics is not “Oh my god, it is one of the beautiful sciences amongst different disciplines”. It’s very black and white unlike and we have laws and theorems. At my university, there are 50 % women who start off with their undergrad education. By the time the reach third year, most women students have moved away from Physics. I want to change that environment. I recently developed an idea to encourage 1st and 2nd year Physics students to participate in “Physics LAWS (Physics-Learners and Achievers Women Students Competition”. This idea was awarded a grant by the Women’s Impact Network (WIN). This is one of the several ways to motivate and guide Women Physics students to pursue a career of becoming a Physicist.
4) We are the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My big dream is to become a champion for women’s education. I want to lead female students by example, and foster an environment where women should never question themselves. We tend to underestimate ourselves a lot and I aspire to break that trend. Our lack of confidence in our abilities, lets opportunities go past us and I wish to stop that. As women, we are very adept with the art of time management, and are the best multitaskers. We are compassionate, instead of saying I can’t, I want to create an environment of I CAN. My father’s faith in my abilities made me go abroad for my higher studies and believe in myself. I am supported by an excellent family that encourages me to keep going. I want to create that belief and trust in women students to pave their best paths for success in careers and lives.
5) And this is a fun one (you don't have to answer haha) but did you watch the Big Bang Theory? Who is your favorite character or episode?
Yes, I have watched ‘The big bang theory ☺. I love it for many reasons. One it was filmed at my alma mater CALTECH. I have fond memories of my tenure at CALTECH as a scientist. The atmosphere and environment it provided me, made me resilient towards any challenges I face even today. My favorite character is Leonard Hofstadter. A perfect example of a down to earth nerd with great aspirations and dreams, something that describes me totally!
Thank you Snehalata for Sharing Your Inspiring Story with Us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: Snehalata Kadam an Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Worcester. She teaches undergrad level introductory courses and special topics at graduate level. She is also the president and one of the founding members of the AWIS (Association of Women in Science) Central MA chapter. Dr. Kadam earned a B.S and M.S in Biology from India and a Ph.D from Tuebingen University, Germany. She completed her Post Doctoral research at California Institute of Technology (CALTECH) where she studied “Mechanics of Cell Migration“. Dr. Kadam joined WPI as a Physics faculty four years ago with the goal of bridging diverse disciplines such as Physical and Biological Sciences. Her primary responsibility is not only to create a Physics loving atmosphere especially in female students wherein they can develop their knowledge but also help themselves adapt innovative learning strategies.
Dr. Kadam has been a AWIS member since 2014 and has been actively involved in founding AWIS affiliate group and also taking it to the next level in AWIS central Massachusetts chapter launch. Dr. Kadam family lives in Shrewsbury with her husband, two sons and a daughter. She volunteers for cultural committee of India Society of Worcester (ISW) and enjoys learning and performing classical dance Kathak.
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