Cara Ocobock, Ph. D.
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
I come from a small, one-square mile village called Carleton, MI. There is one stoplight, and cows outnumber the humans. I excelled in math and science growing up, and had a particular affinity for biology figuring that I would end up a medical doctor one day. Unlike most of my classmates, I ADORED science fair projects and animal dissections. At the time, I just assumed liking science meant that I would become a medical doctor. I went to the University of Michigan for my undergraduate degree with that plan in mind. However, it was there that I was able to truly explore the many different facets of science and find my passion. I majored in cellular, molecular, and developmental biology. However, while fulfilling my general education requirements, I took an anthropology course. I instantly feel in love with biological anthropology, which is a very broad field incorporating the study of humans and primates both living and dead. I decided to pick up a second major in anthropology-zoology. I was particularly interested in the biomechanics and life ways of fossil humans, and pursued a PhD in anthropology at Washington University, St. Louis. There, my interests evolved, and I conducted my research on human energy expenditure (how many calories we burn) in extreme conditions such as high levels of physical activity and extreme hot and cold environments. I am currently a professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI where I continue my research into the extremes. I am also deeply involved in mentoring young women in STEM fields. I am a faculty fellow for the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) living-learning community, and a founding member of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), West Michigan. I also created Science on Tap, Grand Rapids to bring the public and scientists together to share ideas.
2. You’ve thoughtfully provided us with some information on your job. What does a biological anthropologist do on a day to day basis—or are no two days exactly alike?
The only thing similar from day-to-day in my life is an extremely long and varied to-do list! Each day is comprised of some mixture of teaching, research, and service (like Science on Tap). However, the things I do for each of those topics is always different. For example, right now, I am juggling analyzing data from two old research projects on extreme climates and extreme marathon runners, collecting data on a current project with hockey players, and doing background reading for a brand new project in Finland that hasn’t gotten off the ground yet. As for teaching, I am constantly trying to find new ways to make learning more interactive and fun…yes, even for college students. I think they may need fun in the classroom more than anyone! For service, I am currently planning a Darwin Day event on my campus to celebrate Charles Darwin’s birthday and encourage intellectual curiosity and bravery. This is requiring a lot of time and organization on my part to schedule a keynote speaker, get conference talk and art submissions, and design events that students will want to attend. I also have Science on Tap events, WISE, and AWIS events that I have to plan. So, I am constantly busy, and constantly shifting gears from one task to another, but I like it that way. It keeps my mind active and ensures that I never get bored.
As for what a biological anthropologist does in particular? Well, I hate to say it but that depends on the biological anthropologist. Though I think we would all agree to what I said above, that we all have a wide variety of things we do on a daily basis. But, as I said early, biological anthropology is a broad field. Some anthropologists study primates, some study humans (that’s me!), and some study fossils. Overall, we study the adaptations, variation, and evolutions of humans, primates, and their fossil relatives.
3. How does STEM relate to your job? How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
Every single day I am using science, technology, and math. Perhaps, I don’t use engineering too much, but the other three are staples in my life. I am constantly using technology not only to collect my data which requires some rather sophisticated equipment, but I also use it when I am teaching. I now use a screen capture recording system to record my lectures and post them online for my students. I use science in my research – particularly in formulating my questions, figuring out how to test them, and then actually conducting the data collection. And, math, is every important when crunching the numbers on my data. I use math and stats on a daily basis. As for what I learned from my degree…yes the actual facts and information are important. But more than that, my education taught me how to learn, how to conduct research, how to think critically, how to improvise when all my best-laid plans fell apart, and how to multitask.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
I have been fortunate enough to not face any extreme forms of discrimination in my career. However, I do experience microagressions on almost a daily basis. I know that as a woman in science, my appearance and language will be judged more critically than my male peers. How do I handle this? I be me. If I want to wear a Star Wars t-shirt, I do. If I want to voice my opinion, even if it may be unpopular, I do. Once, I had a colleague criticize me for teaching my students too much information, giving exams that are too difficult, having exam averages that are too high, and for doing too much research. How did I deal with this? I kept teaching exactly how I was teaching, because I know it is effective and my students benefit from it. I also decided to get my research a little publicity within my university, apply for and receive grants, and recruit a large team of student research assistants to enable me to conduct even more research. Basically, when I am told I am doing something wrong when it is not, I go full force in doing it to the extreme.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What about your job do you look forward to every day? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is honestly getting to do and learn different things every day. Whether I learned it from my research, or even better, learn something new from my students – I love the fact that my job lets me to continue learning. The worst part is honestly the passive aggression and microagressions that are so common in academia. They serve no purpose, and only work to bring people down. I think all professions need to create more supportive and encouraging environments.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
You just have to make time for those things that are important. I make time to go to the gym because I love lifting heavy things, and I love how it makes me feel. I also make sure to spend time with my husband. I often work most of the weekend, but I try to set aside at least each dinner and at least one full day a week to spend with him. We love building Legos together!
7. What do you define success as?
Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think I have achieved full success yet. I know I have been successful in many of my endeavors – though I have failed just as often. But, when I know what success is and if I have achieved it, I will let you know.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
You need thick skin. Not everything is going to be easy. Like I said above, I have had as many failures (if not more) as successes. I have been rejected for jobs and articles turned away for publication. It can be tough at times to keep working so hard. But, the important part is to not take it personally, and to learn from those failures, so you can do better the next time.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (Can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
I never really had a good mentor coming up in my career. More, I had a lot of supportive friends and family I turned to. I feel I missed out by not having a mentor, which is why I feel so strongly about acting as one to women in STEM fields now. I missed out on the guidance and support only a mentor could provide.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
I think I would tell myself, that things do not always go as planned. Actually, they almost never go according to plan. And, that is ok! It is ok to adjust your thinking and your goals. Sometimes, the best results have come from unexpected events.
I come from a small, one-square mile village called Carleton, MI. There is one stoplight, and cows outnumber the humans. I excelled in math and science growing up, and had a particular affinity for biology figuring that I would end up a medical doctor one day. Unlike most of my classmates, I ADORED science fair projects and animal dissections. At the time, I just assumed liking science meant that I would become a medical doctor. I went to the University of Michigan for my undergraduate degree with that plan in mind. However, it was there that I was able to truly explore the many different facets of science and find my passion. I majored in cellular, molecular, and developmental biology. However, while fulfilling my general education requirements, I took an anthropology course. I instantly feel in love with biological anthropology, which is a very broad field incorporating the study of humans and primates both living and dead. I decided to pick up a second major in anthropology-zoology. I was particularly interested in the biomechanics and life ways of fossil humans, and pursued a PhD in anthropology at Washington University, St. Louis. There, my interests evolved, and I conducted my research on human energy expenditure (how many calories we burn) in extreme conditions such as high levels of physical activity and extreme hot and cold environments. I am currently a professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI where I continue my research into the extremes. I am also deeply involved in mentoring young women in STEM fields. I am a faculty fellow for the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) living-learning community, and a founding member of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), West Michigan. I also created Science on Tap, Grand Rapids to bring the public and scientists together to share ideas.
2. You’ve thoughtfully provided us with some information on your job. What does a biological anthropologist do on a day to day basis—or are no two days exactly alike?
The only thing similar from day-to-day in my life is an extremely long and varied to-do list! Each day is comprised of some mixture of teaching, research, and service (like Science on Tap). However, the things I do for each of those topics is always different. For example, right now, I am juggling analyzing data from two old research projects on extreme climates and extreme marathon runners, collecting data on a current project with hockey players, and doing background reading for a brand new project in Finland that hasn’t gotten off the ground yet. As for teaching, I am constantly trying to find new ways to make learning more interactive and fun…yes, even for college students. I think they may need fun in the classroom more than anyone! For service, I am currently planning a Darwin Day event on my campus to celebrate Charles Darwin’s birthday and encourage intellectual curiosity and bravery. This is requiring a lot of time and organization on my part to schedule a keynote speaker, get conference talk and art submissions, and design events that students will want to attend. I also have Science on Tap events, WISE, and AWIS events that I have to plan. So, I am constantly busy, and constantly shifting gears from one task to another, but I like it that way. It keeps my mind active and ensures that I never get bored.
As for what a biological anthropologist does in particular? Well, I hate to say it but that depends on the biological anthropologist. Though I think we would all agree to what I said above, that we all have a wide variety of things we do on a daily basis. But, as I said early, biological anthropology is a broad field. Some anthropologists study primates, some study humans (that’s me!), and some study fossils. Overall, we study the adaptations, variation, and evolutions of humans, primates, and their fossil relatives.
3. How does STEM relate to your job? How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
Every single day I am using science, technology, and math. Perhaps, I don’t use engineering too much, but the other three are staples in my life. I am constantly using technology not only to collect my data which requires some rather sophisticated equipment, but I also use it when I am teaching. I now use a screen capture recording system to record my lectures and post them online for my students. I use science in my research – particularly in formulating my questions, figuring out how to test them, and then actually conducting the data collection. And, math, is every important when crunching the numbers on my data. I use math and stats on a daily basis. As for what I learned from my degree…yes the actual facts and information are important. But more than that, my education taught me how to learn, how to conduct research, how to think critically, how to improvise when all my best-laid plans fell apart, and how to multitask.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
I have been fortunate enough to not face any extreme forms of discrimination in my career. However, I do experience microagressions on almost a daily basis. I know that as a woman in science, my appearance and language will be judged more critically than my male peers. How do I handle this? I be me. If I want to wear a Star Wars t-shirt, I do. If I want to voice my opinion, even if it may be unpopular, I do. Once, I had a colleague criticize me for teaching my students too much information, giving exams that are too difficult, having exam averages that are too high, and for doing too much research. How did I deal with this? I kept teaching exactly how I was teaching, because I know it is effective and my students benefit from it. I also decided to get my research a little publicity within my university, apply for and receive grants, and recruit a large team of student research assistants to enable me to conduct even more research. Basically, when I am told I am doing something wrong when it is not, I go full force in doing it to the extreme.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What about your job do you look forward to every day? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is honestly getting to do and learn different things every day. Whether I learned it from my research, or even better, learn something new from my students – I love the fact that my job lets me to continue learning. The worst part is honestly the passive aggression and microagressions that are so common in academia. They serve no purpose, and only work to bring people down. I think all professions need to create more supportive and encouraging environments.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
You just have to make time for those things that are important. I make time to go to the gym because I love lifting heavy things, and I love how it makes me feel. I also make sure to spend time with my husband. I often work most of the weekend, but I try to set aside at least each dinner and at least one full day a week to spend with him. We love building Legos together!
7. What do you define success as?
Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think I have achieved full success yet. I know I have been successful in many of my endeavors – though I have failed just as often. But, when I know what success is and if I have achieved it, I will let you know.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
You need thick skin. Not everything is going to be easy. Like I said above, I have had as many failures (if not more) as successes. I have been rejected for jobs and articles turned away for publication. It can be tough at times to keep working so hard. But, the important part is to not take it personally, and to learn from those failures, so you can do better the next time.
9. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (Can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
I never really had a good mentor coming up in my career. More, I had a lot of supportive friends and family I turned to. I feel I missed out by not having a mentor, which is why I feel so strongly about acting as one to women in STEM fields now. I missed out on the guidance and support only a mentor could provide.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
I think I would tell myself, that things do not always go as planned. Actually, they almost never go according to plan. And, that is ok! It is ok to adjust your thinking and your goals. Sometimes, the best results have come from unexpected events.