What better way to kick up a dinner party a notch by having the perfect serving tray that goes along with the evening!

Girly
Blue Plate Special Cake Stand – Serve that cake 50′s style!

Girlhack
Scalloped Bowls – I think shells are nature’s prettiest natural patterns.

Geeky
Circuit Board and Topography Plate 2 – I was actually shocked anything came up when I searched “geek serving plate”, but this was a great find!

Sometimes you need anthems in your life to get you going, pending what mood you’re in.  Here are some of my girly anthems in no particular order.  What are yours?

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Had to get the cliche one out of the way, but seriously it’s fun to sing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gwen Stefani – What You Waiting For  - I just love Gwen.  She has written so many songs about being unabashedly girly, hormonal, and standing up for yourself.  See also, of course, Just a Girl.

Click here to view the embedded video.

South Pacific – I’m Gonna Wash That Man Out of My Hair

Click here to view the embedded video.

Garbage – Vow Okay, a bit more harsh, questionably from a crazy lady perspective, but I love Shirley Manson and Garbage.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Salt-N-Pepa – Push It – I love blasting this song driving around LA for some reason.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s BEYOND shameful that this first post will contain no pictures. I was able to get a data for my iPad 2 on Vodafone without any sort of unlocking, but the iPhone 4s has been another story. Of course the iPhone is the device that I’ve been recording video and photos with and my SLR, not the iPad. Anyhow, Middle Earth/Narnia/Jurassic Park has been amazing.

Hightlights of week 1 have included:

-many fun times in the Jucy campa

-exploring Christchurch, the living Zombie city

-the two day Kayak trip to Abel Tasman where I saw baby seals, a penguin, tons of starfish, fish following the kayaks, private beaches on private islands, discovering my happy place on Earth, and a houseboat adventure

-pancake rocks & blowholes

-jumping pillows

-seal colonies

-more advenutres driving on the left side of the road

Proper updates and video to come!!!

Girlhack STEM Jobs will bring you the same set of basic questions for Women engaged in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) careers, so that you can learn about what it takes to be in their particular field.  If you want to submit about your own job or have someone to recommend, please send an email to info AT girlhack DOT com

This is Alia from Canada.

What is your current job and career field?

I am a geologist working for the government. My department oversees resource exploration and mining industry activities. We visit exploration camps and operating mines, and work with our clients to ensure that everyone is operating according to the regulations.
What sorts of jobs did you have leading up to this? aka What is one example of a path to get where you are today.

After I finished university, I worked in a couple of different geology jobs in both government and the mining industry, and that experience led to connections that led me to my current position.
Everyday is probably different, but what general tasks are you responsible for? What sort of technology do you use?

It depends on the time of year. In the summer and fall field season, I spend a lot of time visiting exploration projects. I may also spend time in the field working with researchers. Some of my coworkers have spent upwards of six weeks in the field in the course of a season.

In the winter, there are reports to be read and approved, conferences to attend, community outreach programs to participate in, and other projects to work on – basically everything that was put off while we were out in the field in the summer!

I don’t use much technology, but I do use computers in the office, and satellite phones, handheld radios, GPSes, and personal locator beacons in the field. Many geologists will also use GIS – geographic information systems – to process data they collect from the field and interpret their findings. Depending on where you work, you may also have to carry bear spray or a rifle for protection against animals like grizzly bears or wolves. Animal encounters are rare but they do happen and you have to be prepared.
What schooling do you need for a job similar to yours?

I have an honours undergraduate degree in geology (the ‘honours’ part means I wrote a thesis – it’s a giant research project on a topic related to your degree) . In order to get to university, I had to take all kinds of science and math classes in high school, and then once I was in university I had to take more. It was a very heavy course load – I took three or four science classes with labs every semester, plus elective non-science classes, and that was TOUGH. But it was well worth it in the end!
In your industry, what are typical entry level jobs and pay?

If you’re working as a junior geologist for a mining company, you can expect to start at around $300/day during the field season, and you’ll work anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks on, with no days off, and then have 2 weeks off. Adjusting to that kind of schedule can be hard at first but you do get used to it. It also teaches you a lot about budgeting as you will usually only get paid once a month, so you have to be careful managing your money. It’s possible to put yourself through school working as a junior geologist or geologist’s field assistant for a summer (or at least to put a huge dent in your student loans!).

In this kind of position, you’ll spend time out in the field taking rock samples and recording where they came from in your notebook and/or on a GPS, and you’ll also map rock outcrops and note their characteristics. The goal is to produce a geological map of an area that will help the project geologist decide where to drill into the ground to extract core samples of rock. These samples are then tested to determine if they have any of what you’re looking for (say, gold) and the project geologist will use the results to plan the rest of the field season’s drilling. It’s a very collaborative field to work in – everyone’s job is important.

An entry-level geologist who gets hired on full-time with an exploration company will probably make somewhere in the range of $60 000 (Cdn) per year. Full-time work is pretty rare, though, and most positions tend to be contract-based and only last for a summer, with extensions if a project continues through into the winter.

What is cool about what you do?  What do you enjoy the most?

Well, I want to say that everything about my job is awesome! I love what I do (mostly I love being outdoors and looking at rocks! plus, there’s lots of chances to spot neat wildlife, so if you’re a photographer as a hobby it’s great.). And in the mining industry it’s like being part of a giant, never ending scavenger hunt for exciting resources (gold, iron, diamonds, etc). I also really love talking to people about geology – the earth is where we live and there are some things about it that are downright amazing, and it’s great to be able to communicate that to other folks.

It’s a great field to get into if you love being outdoors and traveling – you can literally work anywhere in the world. I have friends that have worked in Australia, Mali, Dubai, Russia, and Greenland.
(Also, HELICOPTERS! I get to ride in helicopters *all the time* when I’m out in the field and it is AWESOME.)

What are common assumptions or mistakes people in regards to your field?

Not all scientists wear lab coats and work in a lab – for geologists the lab is everything that’s outside under our feet.

Geology gets misunderstood pretty often in popular culture (think The Core, Dante’s Peak, and any other volcano disaster movie ever). Also, geologists, archaeologists, and palaeontologists are all different professions – sometimes people mix them up.

Do you have any organizations, websites, or internships you can recommend for ladies who want to learn more or get connected?

http://jobs-emplois.gc.ca/fswep-pfete/index-eng.htm
Federal Student Work Experience Program: this one is a general application for various summer jobs with the Canadian gov’t. They are in a variety of departments. If you get one of these jobs, depending on the position and the department, you can apply to ‘bridge’ into a position with the public service when you are finished school.

http://www.ec.gc.ca/scitech/default.asp?lang=En&n=B58899DC-1
This is an Environment Canada-specific program that works to encourage research by young Canadians in various environmental science fields. The closing date for this program is 2 March 2012 which is really soon! However I believe it runs every year, so if you’ve missed it, check back again in January 2013.

http://www.museums.ca/
Another way to get experience is through outreach work. The Canadian Heritage Information Network will often have job postings for summer student positions (hit the Careers link on the right hand sidebar of that page) that are in science or technology museums. If you enjoy science and talking to people about it, it’s a great place to start.

http://www.infomine.com/careers/jobs/a6/geology.geosciences.jobs.aspx
If you’re interested in finding out what sorts of positions are available in geology, specifically in the mining industry, try CareerMine. It’s a great place to see the types of jobs that are currently being hired for, and get an idea of duties, salary, etc.

I go back and forth on any association that pink has with technology.  More times than not, I think it does more harm than good.  However, I know that even some of my dear friends LOVE getting pink accessories for their gadgets.  For those dear friends of mine and the readers in the PINK camp, I’ve found the Rainebrooke website.  Rainebrooke specializes in specifically pink laptop bags.  The website started as a solution for a woman who wanted a cute and practical bag take with her on business trips and with research and time, Rainebrooke was born.  The name comes from the owners two daughters, Brooke and Raine.

Here is my personal favorite bag from the site.  It’s not super pink and I love the retro feel.  It’s called the Funchico v2.0

**Crafted on the iPad! Sorry for the lack of extra pictures!

Pillows are always a great way to accent a room with your personality. Pillows also provide: comfort, living room fort support, and ammo for any playful or fun ‘rassling. Here are my gilry, girlhack, and geeky picks!

Girly

Paris is Always A Good Idea

Other options:
Teal Damask Pillow

French Rose Pillow

Girlhack

Patterns are always the perfect fit of Geeky and Girly to me.
Dwell Studio Bella Porte for Robert Allen turquoise

Other options:
Pillow.Orange

Decorative Pillow Cover

Geeky

Ctrl – Alt – Del Three Pillow Set

Other options:
Twitter Icon Pillow

Geeky Glasses Pillow

Ms. Manda Rin

I’ve been really lucky to see my 16 (going on 17) year old niece recently.  We’ve talked a lot about the woes of high school, all the crazy hormones your body dumps on you, and finding your place and voice.  It has brought me back to when I was her age and all of the insecurities I used to feel and the pressures I often would crumble under.  I also had a feverish youngest of 5 rebellious streak that hated anything mainstream.  I often would read Seventeen Magazine and Y&M (do they still make that??), and have two conflicting thoughts: “Wow, I want to look like that” and “All of this is STUPID! Why do people buy into this??”  I wish I could say I didn’t have body image issues at that age, but I totally did.  I had a weird feeling I would grow into my looks (which I think has turned out true), but I hated my thigh and hip region.  Yay for self loathing as a teenage girl, the scar (not battle wound) of living in a Western society.

Sometime during high school, a friend gave me a copy of a mix tape from her boyfriend.  It had all sorts of music I was not hearing on local Minnesota radio ranging from hard to find Garbage B-Sides (Shirley Manson is another vixen of overcoming self loathing for me), Chemical Brothers, and Bis.  Bis stood out on the tape and my only previous connection to this obscure Scottish band was the Powerpuff Girls End Theme song.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The track I heard on the mix tape was “Tell It To the Kids” and boy was I hooked.  I went onto CDNOW.com  (more dating myself) and picked up both the The New Transistor Heroes  Album and This Is Teen-C Power EP.

It’s important to note that around this time that the movie Clueless was still fresh in the mainstream conciseness of being a teen girl. While I both love the movie and soundtrack, in a very different way as an adult than a teen, the soundtrack does have the Supermodel song by Jill Souble with the lyrics:

“I did it yesterday / And I’m not gonna eat today / and I’m not going to eat tomorrow / because I’m going to be a super model.”

Even if the song is just being tongue in cheek, hormones block any sense of being reasonable or taking things with a grain of salt.  I mean, couple that song with magazines, MTV, and the constant stream of diet advertisements.  You tell me how you feel as a 15 year old girl.  This is why the Monstarr  track by Bis was so refreshing.

While I loved everything on the album, Monstarr fueled the side of me needing for it to be okay to say, “Screw what society says I should look like.”  The lyrics go like this:

Can I not be normal cause I’m not a size 10?
Play music, be in films or even show my face?
Should I be embarrassed if it’s such a crime?
Funny how your life depends upon your waistline!

Should I kill myself? You’re me execution
Why’s being slim important? No one is a monster
Don’t steal their confidence, it’s not yours to take
I don’t want to be a model, at least I’m not fake

Funny your life depends on your waistline

I am gonna make it, I’m not gonna fake it
Not for the sake of it,  yes, I’m gonna take it

It has an incredibly catchy beat and makes a great teenage girl anthem.  Buy this song!  Listen to it and share it.

I have followed the members of Bis on and off over the years, especially Manda Rin.  I reached out to Manda Rin back in 2007 and asked if it was at all possible for me to use one of the Bis tracks for the Girlhack animation.   She told me that it might difficult with rights to old Bis material, but I could listen at her yet unreleased music on MySpace and pick one of those songs.  I ended up picking Break-up / Breakdown.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For a long time I was like many other girls and dreamed of a day I would travel to Paris with a boy.  The older I got, the more I realized there were lots of other places I would actually rather visit with a magical Prince Charming someday, namely: New Zealand.  I was  bound and determined to make that my “Paris” with a significant other.  Last year I said screw boys, I’m going to Paris with a good girlfriend!  This time, I’m saying the same thing and going to New Zealand.  Sometimes you need to be your own Prince Charming and sometimes you just really need to get out of the country.

From today until March 3rd, I will be traveling in New Zealand and I am BEYOND excited.  I will be traveling with one of my best friends from high school.  Since our trip is so short as far as New Zealand goes, we are spending the entire time on the South Island.  I don’t want to spoil all the surprises because I’ll be doing updates the next few Wednesdays, but I want to talk about some of the tools and methods I used to plan the trip.

1) The Lonely Planet New Zealand Guide Book.

A guide book might be obvious, but to a younger generation maybe not so much.  The guide book has provided for capitalizing on time in which is was not appropriate to be online reading about the country (aka doctor’s offices and take offs and landings).  It also gave reviews, suggestions, itineraries, and most importantly, it provided for a launching point of things to Google.  Once on the ground, it will again come in helpful for finding things in local towns when Internet access is scarce.

2) Find at least THREE different companies for any activity + reviews.

Among some of the things we are planning on doing includes kayaking, camper-vanning, hikes, cave tubing, etc.  It is certainly convenient and time saving to click one link for information and if that website seems complete and snazzy, why look further?  Again, might be obvious, but look at a handful of links.  When I was willing to dig a bit deeper I found cheaper and better alternatives.

I also tried to look at TripAdvisor Reviews when possible or would Google “[name of place] reviews” to find more information.  This helped give me a good idea of what to expect for each of the activities.

3) Try to find discounts!

Now, it didn’t work for everything, but in same cases it worked out great!  When I was researching Campervans, poking around two of the websites turned up different discounts. WickedCampers has some pretty crazy discount codes (see below)!  My friend and I ended up going with JUCY Rentals.  I found discounts on their Facebook and Twitter pages!

BTW – Check out the SWEET Campervan I’ll be using!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

4) Google Maps, Google Maps, Google Maps.

I’m going to say it one more time, Google Maps!!  If you didn’t know, when you are signed into your Google Account, you can create your own Google Map!  If it were not for me plot pointing possible places for my friend and I to travel during our short stay, we would have been totally screwed.  Using the line option that adheres to roads really helped me appreciate how big of a country New Zealand really is.  Behold my first and second attempts (click to see full size).  I’m still finishing some touches on that second map as I write this, FYI.

5) Decide how you want to handle your smart phone overseas.

Ah, the days when I had my company paying for my phone… thankfully my friend currently does have her company that will pay for calls.  However, I would like my iPad and 3G!  Travel was the whole reason why I chose to get AT&T enabled iOS devices since their network type is more common in the rest of the world.  I did a few local reviews and searches and even did a live chat with a Telco to confirm that I could bring my phone/iPad to use.  Just a reminder that you need to unlock your iOS device to do this.

6) PDF ALL THE THINGS!

Each confirmation I’ve taken a screen shot, saved the email, and captured directions from destination to destination.  Not to mention I’ve recorded addresses and emergency contact info.  I have one massive PDF that I have printed, put on my iPad, and is in my SugarSync folder for access.  It’s great to have a paper copy of what you’re doing and an easy to share file with loved ones.

7) Secure or create a new email account.

Decide what email address you’ll be using when you travel and be sure to setup auto responses to the ones you won’t be using!  If you only have ONE email address, make sure you for sure setup a new one.  When you travel, often times you are accessing your email only from public sources, which increases the likely hood of getting hacked!

–

The next two Wednesdays I’ll do weekly recaps and the third Wednesday I will give reviews of services, activities, and things I learned NOT to do (or do).

Wish us luck!!

xxoo

girlhack

Hi there, my name is Sam. I’m in the 3rd year of my undergrad degree at McMaster University. I’m double majoring in math and physics, as well as working part-time as a research assistant. I’ve wanted to be a physicist since middle school, and before that I wanted to be a ‘scientist’. When I’m not doing physics-related things I’m reading, painting, knitting, or sewing. Even though by any definition I’m an adult, most of the time I still feel like a five year old.

What is your current job and career field?
Currently I have a job working as a research assistant. Generally my work is in theoretical astronomy (as opposed to observational astronomy), and more specifically I’ve been studying some properties of magnetohydrodynamics, which is a big word that essentially means the study of magnetic fluids. This has some properties in engineering here on Earth when dealing with liquid metals, but it also has a lot of applications in astronomy where plasma is prevalent. I’ve not yet completed my undergrad, but my research work has been so interesting that I’ve decided it is the field that I would like to pursue.

What sorts of jobs did you have leading up to this? aka What is one example of a path to get where you are today.
This is actually the first physics job I’ve ever held. In Ontario there are grants available to students with financial need to put towards summer work, as a hiring incentive. I was automatically approved for a grant, so essentially I walked in to my now-supervisor’s office and introduced myself and asked if he’d considered hiring a summer student. Things worked out really well, so my contract was extended into the year.

Everyday is probably different, but what general tasks are you responsible for? What sort of technology do you use?
A research group including my supervisor wrote a paper in 1999 outlining a model for fast magnetic reconnection, and in 2009 they wrote another paper describing a simulation they had run to test the model (it worked!). What I’m doing now is looking at the data that they produced with this simulation and writing programs to analyze it further. I program in Fortran 90. It might sound ancient, but all the theoretical physicists I have talked to in the department use Fortran. It’s an important language to know if physics is a field you’re considering. I generate plots using gnuplot and occasionally MatLab. Since all of my work is in programming and analysis I can work wherever I want, and I do all my work on my laptop.

What schooling do you need for a job similar to yours?
The only class that was necessary for this job was my programming/intro to Fortran class. Programming skills are really important, because that’s all that theoretical astronomy is.

In your industry, what are typical entry level jobs and pay?
My job is a typical first job in physics as a student. I get paid 11.25 an hour. There are of course jobs available to upper years as T.A.s though I couldn’t say what they’re paid, since I’ve not done it.

What is cool about what you do?  What do you enjoy the most?
So as I said, a lot of what I do involves analyzing data in some way, and then re-plotting it. A lot of my plots turn out to be really interesting. The data I work with is essentially a picture taken of a box of fluid at a specific time. I interpolated and plotted the centre of this box, and there was an overall twist to the centre sheet and it was so amazing to see the physics fall out of the simulation like that. More generally I love the problem solving that comes with my job. My supervisor will meet with me, or send me an email, about where we should go next with the data, and it’s up to me to figure out how to do that, and then how to program my strategy. It’s a really fun process.

What are common assumptions or mistakes people in regards to your field?
I think that a lot of people still think of physicists as Einstein or Hawking. When they think of a physicist they think of a veritable ‘Genius’. And that’s not what we are. We’re just normal people, and as far as I know none of the people in my class made any amazing discoveries in their teens. On that same line, we’re not all socially awkward and weird. The people in my classes are really cool, generally charismatic and awesome.

Do you have any organizations, websites, or internships you can recommend for ladies who want to learn more or get connected?
Definitely just go talk to a prof! It’s how I got my job, and it’s been going amazingly well for me. Check with financial aid to see if there are summer grants you can get, to make you more appealing to a professor that might be strapped for cash. Most universities/colleges have subscriptions to hundreds of journals, and they can be accessed through the university internet. Figure out what you’re interested in, and start reading up on the current articles in the field. You probably won’t understand them at first, but it’s a great way to expand your personal education and start figuring out where you want to go.