Meet Your CSWA, Patricia Knezek

Patricia Knezek joined NSF in 2013 and served as the Deputy Division Director of Astronomical Sciences, and then as a Senior Advisor in Mathematical & Physical Sciences. She spent time in Advanced Cyberinfrastructure and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. She is now beginning her third year on assignment to NASA HQ in the Astrophysics Division. Prior to joining the NSF, she had been at NOAO as a staff scientist since 2001.

Pat has been active in issues of diversity and inclusion for her entire career. She previously served on CSWA, where some of her activities have included leading the development of “Equity Now! The Pasadena Recommendations for Gender Equality in Astronomy” and launching (with Rachel Ivie of the American Institute of Physics) the ad hoc group that developed the Longitudinal Study of Astronomy Graduate Students. Currently, she is co-chair of the CSWA and also a member of the AAS Ethics Task Force.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection with the planets and stars.

I first made my personal connection as a young girl. I grew up in cloudy suburban East Lansing, Michigan. But I would spend part of my summers on my grandparents’ farm in Texas. I would spend hours at night lying on top of the root cellar watching the sky. It was amazing from there! I realized I wanted to learn as much about the Universe as I could.

How did you end up working in the field?

As far as I was concerned, it was never a question. I read everything I could lay my hands on about the stars and planets. (It’s amazing how wrong some of those texts were – I still remember one that had a description of the planets and claimed that Venus might be a very pleasant place for humans to live!) I was very determined. I cajoled my mother into auditing astronomy classes at Michigan State University (MSU) starting when I was ten, and getting her to take me along. (It wasn’t hard to convince her, she loves astronomy too.) I told my parents when I was 12 that I was going to get my PhD in astronomy, and that never changed. My physics teacher in high school didn’t teach an astronomy module, and he told me “girls don’t do physics.” I managed to convince him to teach that astronomy module. I only applied to colleges and universities with astronomy programs. I did detour into teaching high school for a year, but rapidly realized that that was not my dream, and went back to grad school.

Who inspired you?

My mom and dad were the first to inspire me. They were both the first in their families to go college, and my dad went on to become the first PhD in the family (in agriculture). They always encouraged their kids to explore and learn about our passions, and to pursue any career that interested us. They still do! I also remember going to one of those astronomy lectures at MSU that I cajoled my mom into attending, and Sue Simpkins was the lecturer for the evening. That made me realize that girls could be scientists! That was very inspiring for me.

What is your job title?

I actually have two titles. Formally, I am a Senior Advisor in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate at the National Science Foundation. But I am doing a three-year assignment to NASA Headquarters (HQ) in the Astrophysics Division. I am a Program Scientist at NASA right now.

What community issues are important to you and why?

I am really committed to changing the culture and opportunities in our community so that anyone who is interested in pursuing a degree in astronomy, astrophysics, or planetary science has the opportunity to do so and thrive. Then, if they choose to pursue a career in those fields, they have a level playing field at every stage of their career whoever they are, and an inclusive and professional community to be a part of.

Tell us about a favorite moment so far in your career.

One of my most recent favorite moments was when my NASA HQ colleague, Valerie Connaughton, and I went to coffee during the Honolulu AAS with two summer interns we have mentored the past two summers at NASA HQ. These two young women, Vivian Carvajal and Rachel Wexler, are simply phenomenal. They both were amazing to work with, and it was so interesting to hear where they are now and what they’re planning to do in the future. Vivian is planning to get a PhD in astronomy, and Rachel is pursuing a master’s in public policy with an emphasis in STEM. I feel so honored to have the opportunity to work with such talented people just entering their careers!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to take the same career path as you?

Be prepared to learn many different skills and to value whatever you decide to do as important. I realized early on in my career what while I loved doing astronomical research, I was also really interested in enabling others to do research. That took me down a career path where active research was less and less a part of my job, and since being a highly successful researcher is the gold coin in our field, I struggled with feeling like a failure. One of my collaborators once told me “you could have been a good scientist.” It took me a long time to realize that I am a good scientist. I also happen to be a good manager and leader, and I have worked hard to develop those skills. And as I mentioned above, I am seriously committed to providing opportunities for everyone who wants to be a part of our community to have the opportunity to do so, and to feel welcome and included. I have focused a lot of my service to our community on that. So recognize where your real passion is, and pursue that – that’s where real success lives. Oh, and I would also tell them to start saving for retirement as soon as possible. Seriously. I wish I had.

What do you do for fun?

I love to cook, and particularly cooking for family and friends. Most of my family members are picky eaters, so I love the challenge of getting them to try something new and seeing them enjoy it. I also love to read. I’d read a book a day if I could. And I love hiking and biking, although I don’t get too much time to do that right now. And my partner and I enjoy traveling whenever we can, exploring different cultures and adventures.

What are your goals as a part of the CSWA?

This will probably sound redundant, but it’s true - my main goal for the CSWA has been to place the committee, and our community-at-large, in a good place to enter the 2020s with a clear plan forward to continue to improve opportunities for everyone who wants to participate, and feel comfortable doing that. In order to do that, we gathered community input on what were critical issues, particularly for people who identify as female, to be addressed in the upcoming decade. That resulted in the CSWA submitting two white papers to the Decadal Survey. We’re now in the process of writing up a more detailed report based on that which we plan to submit to BAAS. Drafting all these papers has been led by the amazing Rachel Wexler! And the CSWA is currently drafting a new strategic plan for the committee to take us into the next decade. We plan to have that completed by the summer 2020 AAS meeting in Madison.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?

I’d probably be working on improving diversity and inclusion in STEM in some professional capacity. Or I’d have a food truck. Or I’d be working for a non-profit that works to get stray animals adopted. Or I’d be a travel writer. The possibilities are endless!

What changes would you like to see for women in astronomy?

In two sentences: I’d like anyone who identifies as female and is interested in astronomy to be able to pursue a successful career in it without ever having to worry about whether she’ll have the resources, opportunities, and inclusive community she needs to succeed. They’re simply there.