In this interactive seminar, Dr. Desiré Whitmore (UCI 2011) will share some of the lessons she has learned throughout her 28 year journey from Community College through a PhD and beyond. You will learn about several different career options a PhD can offer, the role that science communication can play, and how our physical perception and biases are connected.

Learn more about Desiré Whitmore:

A Blaxican American woman and Southern California native, Dr. Desiré Whitmore, aka “LASERchick”, began her education in Community College and holds degrees in Physical Sciences, Chemical Engineering, and Chemical and Material Physics. Her PhD and Postdoctoral research focus was in the development of very fast laser systems to study single molecules vibrating, electrons traveling across the surface of metals, and the fluorescence of semiconducting Quantum Dots. After her postdoc, Desiré wrote K-8 science curriculum for Amplify Science, was the Director of the Laser and Photonics Technology program at Irvine Valley College, and is now the Staff Physicist Educator and Co-Director of K-12 Teacher Learning at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Her current work is focused on providing support and professional development to K-12 science teachers and leaders, helping them teach through inquiry, with an emphasis on equity and inclusion.

Links: 

Website: laserchick.net 

Twitter: @DarthScience

Instagram: @dr.laserchick

TikTok: @dr.laserchick

LinkedIn: @desirewhitmore