Elizabeth Anne Hook
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 grew up in Nashville, TN, and went to a small liberal arts college in Memphis, TN (Rhodes College) with the intention of studying history and archaeology. I got involved in the physics club, and a professor encouraged me to switch majors to become a physics major. I knew I didn't want to go on to graduate school, and she really emphasized that I didn't have to. That the part of physics I love (communications and outreach) is also a fulfilling career that can come out of a physics degree. And if I changed my mind entirely, the skills that physics teaches are so applicable elsewhere that they would be easily transferable.
After I graduated, I became a communications specialist with the Society of Physics Students, a professional society for undergraduate physicists. After a few years, I became a communications specialist with the American Physical Society, a professional society for physicists. Just recently, I began work as a contractor on the Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) project at NASA Goddard Space Center. I'm the writer/editor for a program that trains professionals in how to use NASA remote sensing satellite data and modeling software.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
So far, I work on updating the program's website content, editing and writing reports, and creating summaries, articles, and highlights from the trainings we offer.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
One of the most useful skills I learned out of being a physics major in college was how to think - how to approach problems and solutions, and how to come up with responses with bits and pieces of information. As a writer, having a background in the subject you're writing about can be massively helpful. In some ways, it's easier to pick up grammar and writing styles than it is to pick up physics.
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 was very lucky as an undergrad - my department was very female-friendly, and I never experienced any outright hostility. It mostly manifested in smaller, every-day ways: like if someone asked a question and a female answered, there was always followup, but it was usually accepted at face value if it was from a male.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part is getting to do something I enjoy doing and being able to learn and grow at the same time. Because I'm early in my career, I have a lot to learn, and I love getting to wake up, go in to work, and help other scientists communicate science. One of the hardest things that I'm definitely still learning is how to take criticism impersonally - it's such an important part of growing, and knowing that someone's suggestions aren't a personal reflection on who you are can be really difficult to separate.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
It's very important to me that who I am isn't defined by work. It would be so easy for me to be a person that works way more than 40 hours a week, and you do what you have to in order to get the job done, but I try and be as intentional as possible about leaving my work at work. It's a luxury that not everyone has, but by leaving my work behind and making sure I have other things I'm doing in my personal life, I try and keep a handle on everything being balanced.
7. What do you define success as?
What a question! I think being fulfilled with your work, doing all the good you can in all the ways you can, and being happy are important factors.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
I think having a solid sense of self can really root you in a lot of ways. It can drive you to be persistent, it can humble you, and it really helps you be at peace with working. And it's not easy to locate that sense of self and maintain it, but it's so important to try.
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?
My undergraduate adviser made a huge impact. She was the one who brought me into physics, and who let me do research with her while I was taking intro physics classes. She definitely taught that physics and STEM doesn't come naturally to most people, and in school when it feels like everyone's doing great and you're confused - you're not alone. She taught me to not be afraid to ask questions - that if you don't understand something, there's very likely someone else that doesn't and you should never been ashamed of having questions.
I've also had incredible support from a family that believes that you can solve almost anything as long as you're committed and persistent. And that when it comes to picking a career, once the shine of something fun wears off - you also have to be fulfilled with the slog and the unglamorous parts of doing it.
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?
The best advice? That it's okay to be confused, to ask questions, and to be persistent. I think that it's so easy to feel like "everyone else knows what's going on and I'm the only one that has no idea what's happening" and 1) that's probably not true, and 2) even if it is, that's still okay! You can sometimes understand something better when you have to ask questions and really work to understand it. Piece of advice #2: the best way to understand something (or figure out if you do understand it) is to successfully explain it to someone who's unfamiliar with it.
I grew up in Nashville, TN, and went to a small liberal arts college in Memphis, TN (Rhodes College) with the intention of studying history and archaeology. I got involved in the physics club, and a professor encouraged me to switch majors to become a physics major. I knew I didn't want to go on to graduate school, and she really emphasized that I didn't have to. That the part of physics I love (communications and outreach) is also a fulfilling career that can come out of a physics degree. And if I changed my mind entirely, the skills that physics teaches are so applicable elsewhere that they would be easily transferable.
After I graduated, I became a communications specialist with the Society of Physics Students, a professional society for undergraduate physicists. After a few years, I became a communications specialist with the American Physical Society, a professional society for physicists. Just recently, I began work as a contractor on the Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) project at NASA Goddard Space Center. I'm the writer/editor for a program that trains professionals in how to use NASA remote sensing satellite data and modeling software.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
So far, I work on updating the program's website content, editing and writing reports, and creating summaries, articles, and highlights from the trainings we offer.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
One of the most useful skills I learned out of being a physics major in college was how to think - how to approach problems and solutions, and how to come up with responses with bits and pieces of information. As a writer, having a background in the subject you're writing about can be massively helpful. In some ways, it's easier to pick up grammar and writing styles than it is to pick up physics.
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 was very lucky as an undergrad - my department was very female-friendly, and I never experienced any outright hostility. It mostly manifested in smaller, every-day ways: like if someone asked a question and a female answered, there was always followup, but it was usually accepted at face value if it was from a male.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part is getting to do something I enjoy doing and being able to learn and grow at the same time. Because I'm early in my career, I have a lot to learn, and I love getting to wake up, go in to work, and help other scientists communicate science. One of the hardest things that I'm definitely still learning is how to take criticism impersonally - it's such an important part of growing, and knowing that someone's suggestions aren't a personal reflection on who you are can be really difficult to separate.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
It's very important to me that who I am isn't defined by work. It would be so easy for me to be a person that works way more than 40 hours a week, and you do what you have to in order to get the job done, but I try and be as intentional as possible about leaving my work at work. It's a luxury that not everyone has, but by leaving my work behind and making sure I have other things I'm doing in my personal life, I try and keep a handle on everything being balanced.
7. What do you define success as?
What a question! I think being fulfilled with your work, doing all the good you can in all the ways you can, and being happy are important factors.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
I think having a solid sense of self can really root you in a lot of ways. It can drive you to be persistent, it can humble you, and it really helps you be at peace with working. And it's not easy to locate that sense of self and maintain it, but it's so important to try.
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?
My undergraduate adviser made a huge impact. She was the one who brought me into physics, and who let me do research with her while I was taking intro physics classes. She definitely taught that physics and STEM doesn't come naturally to most people, and in school when it feels like everyone's doing great and you're confused - you're not alone. She taught me to not be afraid to ask questions - that if you don't understand something, there's very likely someone else that doesn't and you should never been ashamed of having questions.
I've also had incredible support from a family that believes that you can solve almost anything as long as you're committed and persistent. And that when it comes to picking a career, once the shine of something fun wears off - you also have to be fulfilled with the slog and the unglamorous parts of doing it.
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?
The best advice? That it's okay to be confused, to ask questions, and to be persistent. I think that it's so easy to feel like "everyone else knows what's going on and I'm the only one that has no idea what's happening" and 1) that's probably not true, and 2) even if it is, that's still okay! You can sometimes understand something better when you have to ask questions and really work to understand it. Piece of advice #2: the best way to understand something (or figure out if you do understand it) is to successfully explain it to someone who's unfamiliar with it.