By Susan Hood

Special to the Gazette

Thirty-seven first-year students participated in the fifth annual Harvard-Radcliffe Science Alliance, held Sept. 2-5. The program is designed to teach women how to network, use University resources, and learn about careers in science. Activities included lectures, laboratory tours, and museum visits, as well as a panel discussion on careers in the sciences.

This year's panel session, "Nontraditional Careers in Science," featured a television meteorologist, a forensic scientist, a patent lawyer, a freelance health and science writer, and an art conservationist. Each panelist discussed her educational background, her career development, and the role science plays in her work.

Amy Snodgrass, associate conservation scientist in the Center for Conservation and Technical Studies for the Harvard University Art Museums, described her own career path as "slightly serendipitous." She urged students not to worry too much about every class and job decision. "Things will fall into place; do what excites you," she advised.

Panelists detailed how scientific tools, including instruments, experimentation, and data analysis, are part of their everyday work. Snodgrass described the process of determining the proper ingredients to make up the paint to restore an ancient Indian painting. Melissa O'Meara, a forensic scientist in the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, described how she builds a case in her lab. Audience member Rachel Israel '01 said she particularly enjoyed O'Meara's comments since she had recently interned at a coroner's lab.

Gabby Dreyfus '01 asked the panel how to translate hard science language to make the material interesting and informative to the public. Patricia Thomas, a freelance writer and editor specializing in health and science issues, recommended using metaphors and analogies: "Oxygen-free radicals are like promiscuous roués in a singles bar." Mishelle Michaels, a meteorologist for WHDH-TV/Channel 7 News, mentioned a science almanac that she is creating that will distill scientific articles, making them comprehensible to the general public while maintaining the integrity of the scientists' work.

Dreyfus, along with other students, gave high grades to the event. "This whole program has been amazing," said Dreyfus. "Before attending the Science Alliance, I wanted to focus on physics; now I'm taking a look at engineering. It's changed my view of what I want to do."