CANDY ROCKS! (Invited Presentation)

Whenever I hear Ph.D. students complaining about the many demands of grad school, I can't resist telling them the story of my first graduate student, Candice Hansen-Koharcheck. In 1986, Candy had a full-time job at JPL in an engineering section, and wanted to get a Ph.D. at UCLA so that she could transfer over into a science position. As part of the Voyager Project, she had had an opportunity to work with some of the top scientists in the field of planetary science, and wanted to share more deeply in the excitement of the scientific exploration of the solar system first-hand. Despite being a single mother, and holding down a half-time job at JPL, she made it through all the academic hurdles at UCLA to earn her Ph.D. In retrospect, I think the fact that I myself was a recent Ph.D., and younger than she was, turned out to be a good thing, because if you've ever worked with Candy in any capacity, you know that there's absolutely no question who's really in charge. Regardless of the situation, Candy seems to instinctively know exactly what needs to be done, and exactly also how to get it done too. Whether in science, engineering, operations, proposal writing, publications, management, outreach, or mentoring, she's able to channel her unbounded positive energy into her work and her teammates, and her many accomplishments speak for themselves. After my Ph.D. students graduate, I usually give them my "Now You Are Free" speech, and urge them to go forward out into the world explore beyond the boundaries of their dissertations. Years later, as I look over the many and varied scientific topics that she has studied, and the many and varied rolls that she has taken on in her career so far, it's clear that Candy has taken this advice to heart. It is important to point out that Candy's success has not always come easily. I recall vividly back in the mid 1990's when she came up with an original proposal concept for Discovery mission to Mercury, and the management at JPL insisted that she find another (i.e. male) scientist to be the PI. As a pioneering woman in the field, Candy had no choice but to take a number of such setbacks in stride. I'm deeply happy for Candy that she is now receiving this recognition from the GSA. To see her name listed among the previous Gilbert awardees, some of whom were part of the original Voyager team that originally inspired her to become a scientist, is truly heart warming. Great job Candy - YOU ROCK!