This week’s Wednesday’s Women in STEM Series features Portland local Tassia Owen, a Senior Communications Specialist and Science Writer for NASA. Read on to see how she combines her background in English, science, and teaching into a career she loves!
When did you first become interested in STEM?
When I was a little girl growing up in La Crosse, Wisconsin on the banks of the Mississippi River I would spend days exploring Hixon Forest, which was just a short walk from my house. I loved learning about the geology of the area and the different plants and animals that called this landscape home. I’d write stories about my adventures. I imagined myself as a naturalist like Lewis and Clark or John Muir. To me, every little wood violet I found and every chunk of sandstone was like it was my own discovery and needed someone to tell its story.
Where did you go to school and what did you study? Any interesting stories about your experience studying science or engineering?
I didn’t major in science as an undergrad. I started college at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (Go Badgers!), the alma mater of another nature lover and the “Father of the National Park System,” John Muir. I started school thinking I’d like to study pharmacy. I loved thinking about the world being made up of tiny particles all aligning in certain ways to make everything. I thought that it was awesome. I really liked chemistry and wanted to help people, but I became frustrated with my math classes and found myself drawn to my English classes and taking long hikes around the shores of Lake Mendota. I didn’t find the transition to college to be very easy and ended up changing my major 16 times! At one point, I was a recreational resource management major, studying about the White River National Forest and the impacts of ski resort expansion on the surrounding forests and wildlife. I liked learning about so many things, that I couldn’t make a decision on what to pursue, but I knew I loved to write. One advisor suggested I consider studying science writing because of my love of broad topics in science, but instead, I studied English and added a teaching certificate. I transferred to the University of Wisconsin – Platteville my Junior year and finished my English and Secondary Education degree there. When I graduated, I had taken enough math and science that I graduated with a bachelor of science in English education. From there, I moved to Oregon and began working in an Americorp program with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry until I started teaching in the Fall. I was hired to teach English, but the week before school started there was no one to teach science, so I stepped in. I never taught an English class in my professional life and added a general science certificate to my teaching license.
What is your current career/profession and how do you use your interests in STEM on a day-to-day basis?
Today, I have a master’s degree in Geoscience from Mississippi State University, which I finished up while working full time. After a few years of teaching I knew it wasn’t a great fit for me at that time in my life and ended up moving to Washington DC and taking a job running a kids’ science website with the American Physical Society. After two years of working there, I was hired as an outreach specialist with Sigma Space and later with GST Inc. on contract with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for the Terra and Landsat satellite missions. I developed hands-on activities and wrote about these really cool Earth observing satellite missions. I was part of the communications team for the launch of Landsat 8, which was the coolest thing I have ever seen in my career. Now, I write a kids publication about Earth science and satellites called Earth Observatory for Kids. It’s a free printable pdf that comes out monthly with an activity and an article about different topics in Earth Science. Additionally, I work on a citizen science project called GLOBE Observer. It’s an international citizen science effort to collect pictures from people around the world to validate satellite observations.
What do you like most about your current job? What do you find most challenging?
I basically get to look at the natural world I love from the perspective of a satellite, from here on the ground and from the trails I love, and I get to write about it. It’s my total dream job. And, it has the added bonus that I get to share what I love with my kids, because I write for kids.
What advice would you give to young girls who are interested in pursuing STEM activities or careers?
You don’t have to know what you want to do or study. If you are interested in something, learn about it. When you learn more, you will be noticed. Speak up when you know things, be open to new experiences, and don’t worry about what other people think. You are amazing and unique and the world needs you!
