Meet physicist Whitney Ingram, breaking down barriers in nanomaterials and gender roles. Today she’s sharing her research on invisibility cloaks with New Sincerity.
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As a child, I was always curious about the natural world: Why does this glow? How does electricity work? How do generators work?
Those questions never died as I got older. I felt physics was a great avenue to gaining some understanding of those fundamental questions.
I will be the first black female to get a PhD in Physics at the University of Georgia. My research focuses on plasmonic nanomaterials, which have applications in stealth technology. Yes – invisibility cloaks do exist!
I had my share of hurdles. I do feel like there is this unspoken mental barrier, where women are still told they cannot handle the challenges associated with math and science, but I expect that will change.
When someone tells you that you are not good enough, looks down on you, or even when you just cannot seem to get that experiment to work out, you have be patient with yourself and get encouragement from those who support you.
Mentorship is important to encourage the next generation (middle and high school student) if we want the number of women in science to increase. In my lab, I have mentored both men and women – many of whom have gone on to get graduate degrees.
Rise up! Spread Ingram’s story – hit share.
