Professor Renee Diehl, Penn State University, USA
Professor Renee Diehl, Professor of Physics, Department of Physics, Penn State University, USA
Q: What led you into your chosen profession?
A: My favorite subject in high school was physics. It was just amazing to me that you could explain the behavior of real things using mathematics. In terms of making a career out of physics, however, the decision was quite difficult, because I lived in a rural area, had never heard of a female physicist, and my high school physics teacher was very dubious about the possibility. So I decided to pursue medicine instead, which at the time was also a very male dominated field, but at least I had heard of women doctors. A remarkable thing happened in my first year at college - there was a woman faculty member in the physics department, and there was a woman physics major in her third year. They seemed pretty normal to me. Having this demonstration that it WAS possible for women (even normal ones) to be physicists, I changed my major to physics and never looked back.
Q: What projects/research are you involved in at the moment?
A: I do experiments to study the surfaces of materials. The current emphasis of my research is on how atoms and molecules interact with complex surfaces, such as quasicrystals, fullerene films and high-Tc superconductors. The goal is to reach a general understanding of surface interactions and how thin films form and grow. Although people have studied surfaces for some time, there are still frequent discoveries of new and unexpected phenomena. We want to understand surface phenomena well enough that we are able to predict what will happen for any given situation. This will make it possible to design materials for specific functions.
Q: What book are you reading right now?
A: I am usually reading a couple of books. At the moment I am reading The Curious Life of Robert Hooke by Lisa Jardine and The Boy With No Shoes by William Horwood.
Q: Who do you admire the most (past or present) and why?
A: There's no specific person I admire most, but most of my admiration is reserved for those who perform routine jobs with pride and care.
Q: If you could have any other career other than your chosen profession, >what would you choose?
A: I like maps. I think that in other circumstances I might have chosen to be an explorer, a cartographer, or a meteorologist.
Q: What do you think will be the next significant breakthrough in science?
A: The big push in combining nanoscience with bioscience will lead to some important breakthroughs. Molecular machines and nanobots will become routinely used in medicine. The use of functional nano-bio systems will become pervasive in manufacturing and processing.
Q: If you could have dinner with any 3 people, past or present, who would they be?
A: Benjamin Franklin and the Two Fat Ladies (Clarissa Wright and Jennifer Paterson).
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