The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.

– Roseanne Barr

(b. 1952) Actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director.

Not only does Deborah Berebichez hold a Stanford Ph.D in physics—an impressive feat in an of itself—she is also an accomplished mathematician, writer, public speaker, and more. In fact, her interests and talents are so diverse that it’s hard to classify her career into any one field. While she currently works as a risk analyst on Wall Street, she also hosts a National Geographic TV show and is constantly developing new projects to share her passion for science with the masses. Eventually she’d like to be considered the new Oprah of science, and given her technical expertise and her skills as a communicator, she certainly has the potential to become an important leader in the world of science and media. It is an honor to share her story with you today.

What is your name, age, and location?

Deborah Berebichez, thirties, New York City.

What is your profession?

I am a doctor in physics, currently building quantitative risk models on Wall St. But what I love the most is running a number of projects to encourage young women to learn about science in a fun way. I am currently a National Geographic TV host, a writer and a public speaker.

What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?

I first studied Philosophy as an undergraduate at Brandeis University. My last year I decided to also complete a physics major and ended up writing two honors theses in philosophy and physics. After that I got a M.Sc. in physics and then went on to become the first Mexican woman to graduate with a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University. Finally, from 2005-2007 I carried out two postdoctoral fellowships in applied math and physics at the Courant Institute, NYU and at Columbia University.

What was your first job?

My first job was in Academia, as a physics researcher at NYU and Columbia. I really enjoyed doing cutting edge research and interacting with young students.

Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?

When I was studying philosophy at Brandeis University I became deeply interested in pursuing a physics career but I had no background in math. A Teaching Assistant from India named Roopesh became my mentor and taught me the basics of physics in only two months. Thanks to Roopesh and a lot of hard work and perseverance, I was able to complete the physics major in only a year and a half by skipping the first two years of the undergraduate curriculum. Inspired by Roopesh’s help and dedication to teaching at the time, I decided that my mission in life was to launch programs to inspire other women who—like me—love science but somehow feel trapped or incapable of pursuing a career in science or technology at some point in their lives.

Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?

Public speaking has been incredibly rewarding as well as challenging. Speaking about complex physics concepts with clarity and insight to a lay audience is not an easy task. But I always want to go beyond that to engage their minds and inspire them to look at the world in a fresh and new manner. It is when I am in front of an audience that I do my best work.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped your career?

I was selected out of thousands of women to participate in Oprah’s Women Leadership Conference ‘Women Rule’ in 2007 and was also one of the keynote speakers. Having the recognition on Oprah’s magazine and Dr. Mehmet Oz’s radio show as a woman leader with an interesting project to watch for sprung my career into a new level of exposure that allowed me to travel the world and speak at many different conferences.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has hindered your career?

When I was pursuing my Ph.D. at Stanford I was one of only three women in our entire class. I sometimes felt unwelcome during the homework sessions or in the research labs. It is not that the male students thought about us negatively, it was perhaps that some of them were extremely shy and didn’t feel comfortable with us around. Since these were the people I needed to learn with and from every day, feeling like an outsider made for a few challenging years. I wish there were more female role models in science.

Do you want to have children? Why or why not?

Yes! I would love to have children. And I assure you that no matter what sex they are, they’ll be calculating derivatives by the age of 4. (Joking!)

Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?

One of my role models is my dear friend and colleague Idit Harel Caperton, Ph.D. She is an educational psychologist and epistemologist specializing in the study of the impact of computer-based new media technology on the social and academic development of children. Idit is brilliant, generous and an incredible woman. Just seeing how well she balances her personal life with work is an inspiration!

If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams, whatever they are. If you happen to be attracted to a field that is traditionally male dominated, know that “you are standing on the shoulders of giants” as Isaac Newton once said. There are great women who in the past made it possible for us to be where we are, and we are responsible for achieving the success that will inspire the next generation of women.

Links:

thesciencebabe.com

@thesciencebabe

– Interview by Eve Richer

To deny your age is to deny your life. People get all screwed up and afraid of aging when, in fact, every year should be a celebration. You should be celebrating every year that you are given.

– Oprah Winfrey

(b. 1954) American entrepreneur, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. Winfrey is the CEO and CCO of OWN – the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Source: Essence Magazine

What is your name, age, and location?

Anne Flournoy, age 60, live and work in New York City.

What is your profession?

Artist / filmmaker / video producer.

What did you study in school and what degrees do you have?

I majored in Art History at Wheaton College (MA), studied Sculpture in Etienne Martin’s atelier at the Beaux-Arts in Paris and have an MFA from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

What was your first job?

I scooped ice cream at Buxton’s in Princeton, NJ.

Who or what inspired you to break into your current line of work?

When I was a graduate student at Rutgers in the late 70′s, the artist Arakawa came to talk and show us Why Not? an astonishing film he’d made pretty much for the cost of the film and the lab work. He’d shot it himself and edited it with a pair of scissors, running the cuts through a projector. I realized, by his example, that film didn’t necessarily have to be a group endeavor, much less a Hollywood-style production – that it was possible to make a film the way you make a painting.

Name/describe what has been your most rewarding project so far?

The Louise Log, which started as an admission of complete defeat, a sort of home craft project when I couldn’t get my second feature financed, has been my most rewarding project and probably because of the fact of digital technology. With digital, one person is capable, and for very little money, of functioning as both a production crew and a distribution team. Making it has forced me to learn a lot and to use every aspect of myself.

By the second season, it had become my life – my diary, therapy, my social life and a way to let alter-egos do over everything I’ve mishandled in real life. I’m all the characters.

Name/describe one incident when being a woman has helped / hindered your career?

I’m afraid that my ‘incidents’ only show the potential for helping and the potential for hindering.

Sometimes allowing a certain erotic proximity to men in a position of power has benefitted me. I’m not talking about sleeping with them or anything even close to that. I’m talking about being willing to engage in that kind of energetic dance that’s not unlike a game of chicken, a power struggle that was probably refined in the Garden of Eden. My friend Carmela refers to it as ‘wearing the push-up bra’.

One day several decades ago, business-like with two copies of my itemized equipment list and budget in hand, I went into a meeting to try and negotiate a deal with an equipment house for a camera, lighting and grip package. It was a scaldingly hot sunny day and I can tell you exactly what I was wearing – a huge brimmed hat, an off-the shoulder dress that came to my knees and cool pointy flat shoes. The guy who owned the equipment house was a tough guy who could have been cast as a smart and effective Mafia hitman.

He lead me into his office – black leather chairs, air conditioning on blast and, to my horror, he closed the door. He may have even told his secretary to ‘hold his calls’. Mercifully his massive desk separated us. At one point, he looked at me with a sort of come-hither look and asked: “So why should I give you a great deal?” I was so freaked out at how he was acting, that he’d totally gotten the wrong idea about me that I cried out: “Because I’m DESPERATE!” He winced and his whole chest caved in as if I’d just socked him in the stomach. I remember feeling surprised at his disappointment and at my power in the situation. Thinking about it, I feel renewed awe for Marlene Dietrich: it’s tricky to pull off the erotic proximity thing, but women actually hold all the cards. Well… almost all the cards. There’s always the brute strength card.

Now a few decades further along, I’m better at it – partly because I’m older than most of the people I deal with which is a huge neutralizing advantage. Still, recently, in a supposedly mentor-type situation, a captain of industry nonchalantly slipped the question into our conversation: did I watch pornography? Luckily I was looking down and scribbling notes when he asked. Without missing a beat or even looking up from my pad, I kept right on scribbling: “Nope!”

Please say a few words about your experience with the work-life balance.

I’m an extreme example of someone who didn’t figure this out. When my first child was almost two, I went to a film festival in a significantly different time zone. The first night there, meeting other filmmakers, I showed pictures of my darling child who had been my full-time occupation for his entire life. Minutes later, I excused myself to go call home before he went to bed. On the second night at the festival, I was having so much fun that I lost track of the time and called after he’d gone to sleep. On the third night, one my new friends asked: “How’s your baby?” “Baby? What baby?” I remember my complete bewilderment. (In all fairness, I thought of him as ‘a boy’ at this point, not a baby.) “Weren’t you showing us pictures?” I rushed off to call home.

I’m not pathologically out-of-sight, out-of-mind, but I do tend to get pretty obsessive about things. Also, delegating has never been my strong suit. Let’s just say that with this self-awareness, I didn’t start shooting The Louise Log till my first child was a freshman in college.

As far as the work/life balance, I’ve recently taken to throwing raw food into a skillet and when the smoke alarm goes off, thundering toward the kitchen “DIN-NER “. (Wish I were kidding.)

The trailer for Anne’s feature film How To Be Louise – which was in competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 1990.

Who is your role model or mentor (alive or dead)?

Eve Ensler is an incredible role model and an inspiration. She’s managed to keep writing, to get her work in front of a vast audience and to actually raise global awareness of the unacceptability of violence against women.

I recently had the experience of a mentor during an intense social media campaign and it was beyond wonderful. I want a mentor. I need a mentor. Guess I have to ask somebody.

If you could give one piece of advice to a woman starting out in your field, what would it be?

Do what you love. This work is so hard, both the making of it and then the promoting of it but if you love it, it doesn’t feel hard. My only real problem today is that, so loving what I do, it’s hard to find the time to sleep.

Links:

The Louise Log

The Louise Log’s Facebook page

Anne’s personal website

Follow Anne on Twitter: @AnneFlournoy

– Interview by Elena Rossini

– Special thanks to Emily Best for the introduction.

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We should always have three friends in our lives – one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we’ve cleared the way.

– Michelle Obama

(b. 1964) First Lady of the United States. Lawyer. Advocate for poverty awareness and healthy eating.