Scholar Spotlight: Karina Kimani-Stewart

Today's scholar spotlight features Karina Kimani-Stewart who is a rising junior at Texas Tech University and is excited to pursue a career in astrophysics.  This summer she is working with Prof. Caroline Morley and Dr. Michael Gully-Santiago ("Gully") on understanding exoplanet atmospheres.  Gully sat down with Karina to learn more.

MGS: What got you interested in astronomy?

KKS: As predictable as it sounds, I've always felt drawn to astronomy -- I was the kid who spent summer at space camp! Knowing that there are questions we don't even know to ask yet about worlds we don't even know exist yet is the most fascinating thought. 

MGS: What’s an example of something you learned at the TAURUS program so far?

KKS: Spending this time in TAURUS has taught me to become comfortable with pursuing the unknown. I mean this not only in the scientific sense, but also in the social sense. The way is not yet clearly paved for me or any other young, woman of color in this field. That is why I'm thankful that this program has given me the opportunity to find what it means to be not only an astronomy researcher, but an African-American astronomy researcher.

MGS: What’s been the hardest part of research so far?

KKS: The biggest challenge has been changing my mindset. In school, we're always told "Here's the problem and the answer. Show me how to get there." Whereas here, we're told "Here's the problem and the answer we think might be correct. Show me how to get there." The reason we do what we do is because we are legitimately looking for answers that don't yet exist. As you have taught me, it is important to approach this work with a compass rather than a map, and that shift in thought has been difficult yet rewarding.

MGS: What do you want people to know about you?

KKS: I believe we, as a scientific community, should focus less on trying to get ahead of one another and more on working to progress together. Rather than viewing education as a competition for "best (fill in the blank)" or "highest achievement in (fill in the blank)", we should put more emphasis on our contributions to the bigger picture.

MGS: If you could time travel to 2030, what would you hope to see about the world and about yourself?

KKS: In 2030, I hope to see that the world became more comfortable with adapting to change. As for myself, I hope to look back at the last nine years and see that I did not waste a single opportunity to learn something new. If I can look back and truthfully say that I did everything in my power to become a better, more knowledgeable person, I'd call that a success!

Karina will be presenting her research at the upcoming winter AAS meeting in Salt Lake City, in January 2022.  She's looking forward to meeting up with you there
!