Page 68 - Spring2020

Ask an Acoustician
I reflect on past roadblocks. Taking a step back, objectively reevaluating, and making a plan to move forward is my solu- tion to moving past the initial disappointment.
Do you feel like you have solved the work-life balance problem? Was it always this way?
Family first is and always will be the philosophy I live by. I achieve work-life balance by setting boundaries that adhere to this philosophy to ensure that both my family and my career get the best of who I am. To be successful in this endeavor, it has all come down to choices. First and foremost, I was blessed with a spouse who is 100% supportive of my career. One of his favorite sayings is, “Happy wife. Happy life.” Second, I have chosen to accept only education or employ- ment opportunities where my supervisors embrace my same philosophy. I had my first child as a graduate student, and my second as a postdoc. I interviewed for my first faculty position at Penn State when I was six months pregnant. We adopted our third daughter a day before her 18th birthday while I was at Penn State. I could never have succeeded in any of these positions without the full support of my advisors, mentors, and supervisors.
Everyday choices to maintain work-life balance come from personal boundaries. Those that collaborate and work closely with me know that I very rarely check or respond to email after working hours or on the weekends. I don’t get work email on my phone. I feel that I give my all at work, and I want to give that same effort to my family when I am home. I also prioritize health and mental well-being. In doing so, it allows me to be more productive every day. You won’t see me eating lunch at my desk. Most days I go home to walk my dog over the lunch hour. It is a good thing that I only live four miles from campus. Getting out of the office midday allows me to clear my head, get a little exercise, and jump into a productive afternoon.
What makes you a good acoustician?
Recognizing my weaknesses and surrounding myself with people who are smarter than I am. Acoustics is by nature an interdisciplinary field requiring you to have knowledge in physics, engineering, signal processing, and, depending on your specialty, biology, ecology, and oceanography (in my specific case). It is impossible to be an expert in all of these areas, and recognizing my strengths and weaknesses has allowed me to partner with collaborators that comple- ment my unique set of knowledge. Surrounding myself with people who know more than me in different areas provides
me the opportunity to learn and improve myself. Learning from others in different fields often means learning a new vocabulary that enables me to communicate more effectively and form new professional and personal relationships.
How do you handle rejection?
I am proud to say that I am an expert in failure. It has been one of the defining characteristics of my career. I was rejected from my graduate school of choice twice. I was rejected from two tenure-track and directorship positions. I was rejected from the ONR Young Investigator Program twice before I was finally accepted. I responded to each rejection with tenacity and a spiritual faith that things happen for a reason. After a brief period of mourning and self-pity, I pull myself up by the bootstraps and jump right back in the saddle saying, “What’s next?” More often than not, it meant reviewing applications or proposals and consulting with others on how to make the next attempt stronger. At other times, it meant casting the net wider and being open to new and different opportunities. After every temporary failure, it was again the relationships I formed and my own ability to remain positive and open-minded that helped me turn a failure into a future success.
What are you proudest of in your career?
Being a positive role model for my three daughters makes me the most proud. A woman in science can still have it all: a rewarding and productive career, a supportive family, and an excitement for life. My family is an active participant in my career, and it brings me great joy to involve them in my career. For example, each summer, my dad and one of my daughters (we rotate through) accompany me to an inter- national conference.
I feel my biggest contribution to the field of acoustics is training the next generation through mentoring/advising students and developing the Marine BioAcoustic Summer School (SeaBASS; see bit.ly/2O91Mhp). The success of my students and SeaBASS students is more rewarding than any combination of my own research publications, book chap- ters, or successful proposals.
What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made?
I don’t know about the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, but I can definitely pinpoint the loudest mistake I ever made. It happened early in my career while I was an undergraduate doing my thesis work on Cayo Santiago (Monkey Island) in Puerto Rico. I was performing acoustic playback experi-
68 | Acoustics Today | Spring 2020