An Interview With Daniella Kubiak
- Vanshika Dhyani
- Aug 18, 2020
- 2 min read
Daniella enjoys singing in her college a cappella group and keeps up with the US women’s soccer team.
“During my freshman year, my academic advisor (Professor Rachel Obbard) invited me to travel with her to the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. There I and two other undergraduate women worked on the 26-ID-C particle accelerator, helping Prof. Obbard with her research. While at Argonne, I noticed that we were the only all-female team there. This was so eye-opening for me, fresh out of high school and still extremely uncertain about what I wanted to do. This trip sparked my interest in performing research at Dartmouth and shaped my entire college experience.”
What inspires you?
People who are able to work through adversity and still become the best in their field
What did you want to be when you were younger?
As an elementary schooler, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina and a farmer!
Which subjects did you enjoy at school?
I have always been drawn to math and science.
What would you like to tell your younger self?
Success is defined by how much you dedicate yourself to something, not by the recognition you receive from it.
Why did you choose STEM?
STEM gives you the freedom to pursue literally anything you’re interested in! During my time at Dartmouth, I started out studying ice structures. I then decided I was interested in forensics and conducted a study analyzing volatiles released from dead bodies and residual blood. More recently I decided I wanted to do something more focused on the environment and worked on developing fabric made to harness the energy of a wearer’s movement. STEM has allowed me to learn about topics spanning so many different industries!
How important is it for you to stand out?
Standing out in STEM is important when trying to pitch ideas to others, but not as important when working in teams towards a collective goal.
What difficulties did you face in the industry, as a woman?
There will always be people (men) telling you you can’t do something. Most of what I’ve experienced has been in the form of ignoring, talking over me, or not allowing me to participate in certain aspects of projects. This is such a frustrating thing to experience, but I am beginning to learn that while we shouldn’t have to fight to earn respect, it is always worth it in paving the way for younger women
What advice would you give to the next generation of female scientists?
You can do anything! So cliche but true. Even if people don’t believe in you or your ideas if you work hard enough something will come of it.
I’ve interned as a product design engineer and performed research in 3 different laboratories at Dartmouth. I also served as a physics and calculus tutor at Dartmouth and was a teaching assistant for biological physics.
Comments