Astronomer’s Manifesto (Notes)

first parts written while listening to music

in Frascati, roof apartment, Rome, Italy

at dawn, still dark outside, kids sleeping

• I am not slow, I am thorough.
• I don’t incorporate black boxes into my calculation or analysis in general, I first investigate and understand the module/calculation/code/package with its limitations, so I understand its full impact.
• I make mistakes – big and small. So what? I am human. Do all senior academics always do everything perfectly from the first go, in slightly different areas? Do all Nobel Prize winners have impeccable no error record? I don’t think so. I make mistakes, but since I expect that, I continuously re-check my work numerous times, and document and use mistake-catching techniques (step-by-step, modular documentation, etc.), and if a mistake is found, I quickly try to fix. I also seek feedback to catch the errors where I did not, through external reviewers (both amicable and not).
• I am human. I have a family and kids. It is not reasonable to expect a robot-like work output. Getting sick, and other ebbs and flows of life can affect my work productivity, and it is okay, and happens to others as well. I can still have a successful science career and be a valuable worker even if I have family responsibilities and do not work 24/7 on my career/tasks. In fact, being a parent, makes me use other techniques to focus work instead of spending more time on tasks – I use organization, prioritization, and work smart techniques to be efficient with my time. When I don’t think I can meet a requirement or a deadline, I communicate in advance and I am transparent with people who I work with if I have a challenging personal situation which might affect my delivery.
• I am passionate about astronomy and my career moves are driven by my research interests. It is a compromise, because another alternative solution is to drive career based on who you know to be a good person to work with to make the work life easier. Each solution/path has pluses and minuses. So far I choose to prioritize my research interests.
• I do thrive in good working teams, with regular science exchange, where it is safe to ask ‘stupid’ questions. In fact, no questions are stupid. Academia is full of people with narrow specializations, and moving from niche to niche may have a learning curve to overcome, and should be expected in on-boarding.
• Challenges! Well, this is just part of the game. Research challenges, personal life ups and downs, being in a male-dominated field, tough economic situations, and more constantly bring problems along the way, or should I say research distractions. Challenges do not prevent me to keep going.
• Switching careers does not mean that in another place there is not going to be problems. Each place has problems. Make decisions with realistic expectations.
• When life is too much, it is okay to slow down and breathe. I don’t have to be a super-woman.
• If I need help, it is okay to ask for help.
• I am an astronomer, but this does not define me completely.
• Whether I have a job or am unemployed does not mean that I am somehow less of an astronomer. It’s okay to have gaps in employment. I am still an astronomer.
• I have already contributed to science through research.
  • Paper publications – several! First author and contributing author.
• I have experience working in diverse environments, including fast-paced, result-oriented. I seek guidance when needed. I have experience working with many different people and under a variety of supervision and management styles. I carry myself professionally and with integrity through any situation at work.
• While I am humble, I know my value and what I can or can not do.
• I have interest in astronomy since childhood. Astronomy-related questions are exciting for me.
• I have a non-linear, non-traditional background to astronomy. As a mature researcher with a career path that spanned various fields and economic sectors, I bring a breadth of other knowledge and experience to the table. I worked since being a teenager to support myself and my family financially. I always take my job seriously because it is a source of income. I try to comply with the demands of the job, so I don’t lose the job.
• I am a mama bear academic. With two young kids, one with disability, the job is also the financial stability source for my family, not just any kind of research position. 

• I naturally can think in systems engineering type of approach, I synthesize, connect dots, I easily recognize the details and the overall big structure in a system and the possible important connections between them, as well as input /output processes in a system. Hence, my tendency to enjoy studying topics in science which focus on these concepts, such as ecology, environmental science, conservation, and now in astronomy the environment of AGN and galaxies. When I study a particular aspect of a galaxy, I also keep in mind the overall situation that galaxy is in and pull on any connections or important parts which are connected or impacted between the component and the overall system and beyond. Subtopics could include, things like water cycle, energy exchange, etc…

   

• Underestimated. I don’t pretend to know it all. I don’t claim to know what I don’t know. While some people might dismiss my talents and capabilities, I found out from my life experience that there are plenty of people who are just as humble and value my background and skills. On the other hand, while I might overcome personal shyness each time, I still apply for grants etc., if I meet objectively the qualifications and don’t let my inner critical voice disqualify my application before submission. If you apply you have more than zero chance of acceptance, if you don’t apply, then you definitely have a zero chance of acceptance, advice given my a senior academic at the San Jose State University Physics and Astronomy Department 🙂

   

• My career is a journey. Sometimes I fall, so I pick myself back up when I can. Sometimes, the stretch is so blessed that I run a long time without any obstacles. Sometimes, other situations have more importance in my life, so the academic aspirations are slowed to have a balance in life. I don’t give up. I try to enjoy each day and persevere. Slow but steady. Grace to yourself. It’s okay to let go. I don’t need to chase every opportunity. I can take a break.

   

• I have a natural talent in analytical thinking, in mathematics. 
  • I was at the top of my middle school class in mathematics, and continued to excell in mathematics and sciences throughout my academic career.
  • I did not study and was away from home for a semester, and then when arrived participated in entrance exams to enter a special school for talented students. Even to my mom’s surprise, I scored very high, even compared to students who studied with professors from that school itself for a year or more. To my mom’s surprise, because she worked there, and suddenly they told her that her daughter scored very high – I should do a YouTube chat with her about it 😛 My mother is an expert in Physics and Programming and she taught programming in that school.
  • I switched fields successfully. After BS Molecular Biology, I switched to MS Physics, and caught up on the physics and math on my own. Granted, the teachers in my university were absolutely amazing! I would not have been able to do it without them.
  • In my BS Biology degree, I pursued the high-level Physics courses reserved for the Physics majors, without the prerequisite coursework. I had excellent grades or close. In the last course (Atomic Physics), which is the last course of the most advanced physics track, I got the highest grade on the final exam, even beating the students who were Physics majors themselves.
  • I absolutely love Electricity and Magnetism and Quantum Physics, typically folk hate E&M.
  • I absorbed tons of technical information on radiation safety of instruments (radio (dishes etc), radars, lasers, etc.) in a short early weeks of a summer internship at NASA, including studying instrument specifications, understanding physics concepts and biology concepts relevant there, and studying the relevant compliance codes from the Government to make sure that the radiation safety was carried out correctly carried out on site, on aircraft and that training materials are prepared and training is carried out for specialists, engineers as well as site visitors and other workers (custodians). The work received commendation. I had a great mentor and a great team. The work contributed to support NASA missions.

• Reading and learning technical information is like playing an addictive game. I enjoy it. Challenging topics invite and engage my mind to think through problems, which is an enjoyable experience.
  
• I have to take care of my mental and physical health in order to think clearly. Stress, sleepless nights, anxiety… can take impact on my body, and it is okay to slow down and to recharge, to rest, and to go to sleep on time.

   

• I hassle. Most of the hassle techniques I learned from my dear father, a brilliant man who supported multiple families single-handedly pretty much for years, working long days, in dire conditions of the post-Soviet Union collapse. A brilliant mind, working prior at the government with patents in progress, work that was interrupted. A brilliant mind, my dad both drew with pencil like Da Vinci and played chess BLIND! and not just played, but made funny moves while doing it to mess with the opponent 😛 My dad had to hassle to provide for the family, including carrying out businesses (outside of his training), developing grant programs from EU funding with succesful applications, and carrying out high-talent jobs invited from other countries, which ended with dot-com boom and he had to hassle again, opening his own business and more. He is a programmer by training as well.

   

• Coding. Not my raison-d’etre, that’s reserved for astronomy. But I code, and grew up with tons of computers around me because both my parents were programmers.

   

• I don’t need to know every single fact in astronomy in all its fields to be considered an expert. It is not a memorization game. 
• If I don’t know a topic, it is an opportunity to collaborate or consider getting some training or do some self-learning.
• If I don’t have a soft skill or notice another area which needs improvement, I can take a class or self-learning module to improve there.
• I have the right to grow and learn and am eager too. Everyone has areas to improve on.

• I have a long record of working in academia, but also in industry , teaching, entrepreneurial world (co-owned startups, owned businesses), government, service industry, and more, and my work record is solid and positive, with great references.
• I have extensive teaching experience, tutoring experience, including with people with disabilities (including learning disabilities).
• I can drive a car.
• Just because I am a woman, it does not mean that I cannot do hard things in science or I can not handle certain technical positions or tackle technical or coding problems.
• I might have different ways of approaching problem-solving.
• I have a long and strong record of service to the science community and to the communities as a person/citizen where I have lived and moved through.
• I have a tons of leadership experience, throughout my life.
• I am always open to learning.
• I enjoy service positions for the common good of communities.
• I don’t judge people or treat them poorly if they have certain clothes or economic status or job. I appreciate all people.

   

• I am rarely influenced by “what other people think” because I know what it is like to be an outsider and different from the majority of people around you. 
  
• I enjoy spending time outdoors and connecting with nature. 
• There is no roadmap to success, so I carve out my own path.
• The academic norms should be questioned because for centuries they kept women out of academia. Even today, there are less women in astronom, especially as you go towards the upper echelons of the academic hierarchy. So it needs to be checked whether a rule is a barrier or a true good-faith rule.
• I learn from my mistakes.
• I can be a mom and a scientist.
• I can be from the background that I am and a scientist.
• I know my own worth, even if other people judge me instantly as non-deserving. I only engage in fighting that if the battle is worth fighting, otherwise I let it go.
• My faith is my value, and I don’t need to give up my faith to be a scientist.
• My family is my value, and I don’t need to give up my family values to be a successful scientist.
• I enjoy mentoring and supporting people in science, because I experienced first-hand many difficulties and appreciate all the mentors and support that was given to me.
• I enjoy sharing about astronomy with other people in various outreach opportunities, including social media channels. I get to use my other talents, such as writing and humanities to produce engaging products and have fun with it, even if nobody watches the creations.
• I don’t need to hide my light just because other people are uncomfortable.
• I don’t need to shrink to make others comfortable.
• I don’t chase fame or money, I am guided to move with grace and dignity through my career.
• I don’t compete with others. I challenge myself to rise higher and to break my own limitations. I compete with myself to be reborn into the new me, to grow, and to move forward.

• I celebrate when others succeed.

• I practice gratitude daily. I take one day at a time. I challenge the negative thoughts of loom and doom.

• I seek fellowship , connections, and network to connect with other good people in astronomy and beyond as a professional and as a human being.
• It is okay to slow down and catch my breath.
• I don’t need to fight in every battle. Stepping away does not mean I am weak. I can choose where I put my energy. 
• I am not perfect, but I don’t need to be to have a successful science career.
• I am my own person, and an adult, I don’t need others to make decisions for me. I take advice, but I evaluate the situation and make decisions for myself.
• I use critical thinking in science and in career .
• If I mess up, I admit and move forward.
• I don’t take success for granted, and I appreciate the good things in my career.
• Problems don’t limit me, they engage my craetivity and problem solving skills to find solutions.

   

• I usually let it go when people attack my womanhood or humanity “not like a lady, not for you because you have kids, you won’t be successful because you are too old, …”
• I don’t engage in drama, I keep my mind focused on what is important.

• Things are shaking, when my presence is there. But maybe the system was crumbling to begin with and not steady, and God put me there as a catalyst to speed things up.
• Growing means going through uncomfortable phases in career. I go through these phases with determination, each time with more experience, with open mind, and perseverence.
• I am standing on the shoulders of women who faced even bigger challenges in male-dominated fields and still advanced.
• I get excited about discovering new things about the Universe.
• I enjoy the research , even though the line of inquiry is often non-linear and needs perseverence.
• I can carry research independently.
• I document and organize my thought process, questions, ideas, literature notes, research notes meticulously.
• I am a proponent of open-source software and open science.