Episode Highlights:

Timestamps:

0:26 - What is a geologist (in industry)?

2:52 - What does a typical day look like?

6:12 - What do you enjoy?

8:59 - What do you dislike?

17:26 - How does your career compare to your initial aspirations?

22:16 - What were your career milestones?

34:01 - What advice would you give an aspiring professional?

About Our Guest:

Dr. Kelsey Crane is a geologist with expertise in planetary research and environmental geology. She earned her BS in Mathematics and Geology from the University of Tennessee, where she began studying planetary geology, and later completed her PhD at the University of Georgia, analyzing Mercury's tectonics for NASA's MESSENGER mission and conducting fieldwork in the Yakima Fold Province. After serving as a faculty member at Mississippi State University, where she achieved tenure and discovered her passion for mentoring students, Dr. Crane transitioned to Seres Engineering. There, she leads a GIS team, conducts innovative research, and thrives in a supportive environment that fosters collaboration and compassion.

Looking for career support?

About Our Guest:

• Hilary Eisen is the Conservation Policy Director at Winter Wildlands Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering people to protect America’s wild snowscapes. She works with grassroot partners, agency staff, and elected officials on National Forest winter travel management, forest planning, and other policy issues.
• Hilary started her career in public lands in the backcountry, maintaining Forest Service trails and educating the public about Wilderness stewardship as a Wilderness Ranger while spending winters working on wildlife research projects.
• She also earned a BA in conservation biology from Middlebury College and an MS in wildlife biology from the University of Montana along the way. 

Episode Highlights:

If you have an adventurous spirit and love spending time in the great outdoors, you will be captivated by Hilary’s career journey story. And here are a few other inspiring topics from today’s episode:

• How creating your own job description might lead to an exciting opportunity 
• When to include your hobbies on a resume
• Which conversation jobs involve more time in the office than time outdoors

And if you’re looking for a way to visit top vacation destinations like Lake Tahoe or Yellowstone and get paid for it, this is the episode for you! 

Learn More:

• Go to successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including resources provided by our guest.
• Access the full, extended interview at patreon.com/diverseroutes
• Contact our host, Dr. Cassie Briggs at cassie@successinscienceCC.com

Dr. Delaney Dann is a Career & Professional Development Manager at Scripps, a nonprofit biomedical research institute in San Diego, CA. With a background in molecular biology, including a BS in biology, a couple years in the biotech industry, and a PhD in biology Delaney had her sights on becoming a university biology professor. But during the interview process, realized that a faculty role was not the right fit for her. So, she used an NIH fellowship to explore alternative career options and build her skills and network - landing her in her current role where she supports early career scientists through career development workshops, programing, and advising. 

Episode Highlights:

• What things to consider when contemplating a gap year before grad school
• How to successfully “cold apply” for jobs - that is land a job without an network connection
• How online learning (or teaching) can prepare you for a remote or hybrid career

BONUS: And we reveal the non-science class, every scientist should take. 

Go to successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including resources referred to in this episode.

Access the full, extended interview at patreon.com/diverseroutes.