Dr. Linda Painter has spent a big percentage of her adult life solving physics problems and helping students learn to do the same. Yet had she held to her initial impression of the field, she would have abandoned her physics career after her very first course.

In high school, Painter signed up for a drafting course and shortly thereafter was called to the Girls Counselor's Office. The counselor asked if she wouldn't prefer to take a home economics course instead, as she would be the only girl in a room full of male students. Painter insisted that she was content to take drafting anyway, so no one tried to dissuade her later when she signed up for physics, another male-dominated course. However, she found studying the mechanical advantages of machinery (farm equipment, forklifts, bulldozers, etc.) to be less than thrilling.

"It was a most unpleasant experience," Painter recalled. "I left vowing to never take another physics course."

In 1958 she went on to college at the University of Louisville, declaring math as her major. At the end of her freshman year, a friend talked her in to lifting her self-imposed ban and taking physics.

"She said, all you need to know is F=ma," Painter laughed. "So with that wonderful advice, I signed up to take a physics course."

This time it was a much better experience. By the end of the term, the department head encouraged Painter to change her major to physics, where he said she could still take plenty of math courses, but would have more opportunities for research and professional growth.

When she was a senior, the same department head recommended Painter for a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, although his advice to her was, "Don't worry. You won't get it."

His thinking was that the preference would be for a humanities major and a male, but that the interview and application process would be a good experience for her. Much to his surprise, Painter got the fellowship.

The award re-charted Painter's professional course. Her plan had been to stay at the University of Louisville and pursue graduate study, but the fellowship implied a strong preference for recipients to attend graduate school at an institution other than their undergraduate alma mater. So in 1962, she came to the University of Tennessee to begin graduate study in what UT had advertised as a program in radiation biology (she had completed an independent study in biophysics at Louisville). To Painter's surprise, most of the courses for the program hadn't been taught in a couple of years. Instead, she went into the related field of health physics, earning her master's degree in August 1963. She won an Atomic Energy Commission (now Department of Energy) Fellowship in Health Physics, which required a summer internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. There she went on to earn her Ph.D. working with Dr. Robert Birkhoff, a Ford Foundation Professor.

In 1967 while Painter was finishing her degree work at the national lab, NASA launched its Scientist Astronaut Program. Her advisor, Dr. L.C. Emerson, had done satellite tracking for NASA and was acquainted with astronaut David K. "Deke" Slayton. When Emerson suggested Painter for the program, Slayton's response was a familiar refrain: "Tell her to apply, but she won't get it." Although she wasn't selected for the program, she was one of only five women to make the first cut. Painter went on to complete her Ph.D. in 1968, and then joined the UT Physics faculty. The department had won a National Science Foundation grant to be a Center of Excellence, which allowed for the funding of new faculty positions. Painter also won her first research grant that year: $25,000 from the Atomic Energy Commission to study the electronic properties of liquids. She maintained continuous funding for her research from 1968 until 1989, in addition to teaching courses in health physics, astronomy, and the physics of music. Despite the demands of a tenure track position, Painter managed to juggle her work with her first priority: raising her two children, born in 1971 and 1973.

In 1985 Painter began splitting her time as both a physics professor and assistant dean of the UT Graduate School. By 1988 she was the associate dean, a post she held until last fall. Since September 1997 she has been the interim associate vice chancellor and dean of continuing studies and distance education.

In the Graduate Office, Painter found it very gratifying to meet prospective graduate students and draw on her own experience with fellowships and assistantships to help them find and apply for graduate support. She continues to work on the electronic thesis/dissertation project, which will permit graduate sudents to submit their work in digital format.

Painter is enthusiastic about her work in distance education, an initiative she explains as "exploring opportunities for the delivery of courses and degree programs through a variety of technological modalities." She said she welcomes the challenges presented by incorporating new technologies into teaching.

Although her substantial administrative duties have made a considerable cut in her physics activity, she has, until this year, continued to teach. She also maintains a working relationship with her associates from the health physics field, and sits on the board of directors of Consultec Scientific, Inc., a Knoxville company specializing in health physics training, computer-based learning, and scientific research and product development.

Painter's advice to physics students is simple: "Explore the areas of physics to find which you most enjoy. Then get the best mentor possible in that field." She says, "The mentor holds the key to helping you gain entry into funding opportunities and positions."

Painter said the encouragement of many people, including former physics head Dr. Alvin Nielsen and Dr. Robert Birkhoff, has been essential to her own success.

That, and not worrying when she heard "you won't get it."

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Tina Riedinger, Astronomy Profile

Since 1973, Tina Riedinger has taught physical science and astronomy courses at UT and has consistently earned outstanding evaluations from her students. Ironically, teaching was never her first career choice.

Well-known for her thorough preparation and clear explanations, she has made the universe a not-so-frightening concept for a number of UT students, many of whom are from non-science fields of study.

From her well-ordered office on the sixth floor of the Nielsen Physics Building, Riedinger explained that her biggest challenge as an educator is finding an appropriate level to communicate the scientific principles of astronomy to students who have little, if any, background in science.

"But I do try to sneak some physics in there," she said.

Although she is one of the department's most popular teachers, Riedinger said that "in finishing college, teaching was the last thing" she was planning to do professionally.

Upon graduation from Thomas More College in 1965 with a physics degree, Riedinger won a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, which required her to give a lecture to demonstrate her communication and potential teaching skills. She gave a presentation on her undergraduate research, and the positive reaction it drew indicated a real gift for instruction.

"Until that point, I wouldn't have considered it seriously," she said.

Riedinger was also an AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) Fellow from 1965 until 1967. She finished her master's degree in physics at Vanderbilt University in 1968. From 1970 to 1971, while her husband (and current department head) Dr. Lee Riedinger was a research associate at the University of Notre Dame, she worked there as a health physicist, inspecting laboratories and research programs to make sure they were performing within safety standards. Interestingly enough, she said with a laugh, "one of the worst offenders was Lee's group," and it fell to her to notify his professor.

When the family moved to Tennessee, Riedinger considered working in health physics at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she had done research for her master's degree. However, in 1973 she had two pre-school daughters and said that for her, research "was not as conducive to raising a family as teaching." She began filling in at UT to help cover the astronomy classes, which led to a part-time position in the Physics Department. This arrangement gave her more time to spend with her family while pursuing her professional interests as an educator. Though her children are now grown, she has kept her part-time appointment over the years, which she said allows her to concentrate on teaching without the pressures of "publish or perish."

Riedinger said that a primary goal for her teaching is to instill in her students an appreciation for science that endures beyond their college years, so that as taxpayers and voters they understand what research dollars are used for and why they are important. She rates contact with students as the most enjoyable aspect of her job, especially working with those who have a genuine interest in learning and whose curiosity takes them beyond the basic principles of astronomy. She also does a great deal of public outreach in astronomy, including visits to local schools and civic groups.

"Sometimes I have to run off at the lunch hour and give a lecture to the Rotary Club downtown," she said.

Riedinger said that often the mainstream media picks up a story (such as an announcement that "an asteroid is going to hit the earth") that sparks general interest in astronomy, resulting in more questions from students or requests for presentations. For her, however, the study of celestial objects has always been of interest.

"Even as a young kid, I was into astronomy," she said. Her father was a scientist and amateur astronomer, and although he passed away when she was a child, Riedinger said his books were still around the house and became her introduction to the universe.

Riedinger and physics professor Michael Guidry have teamed up to develop a new approach to teaching astronomy using the World Wide Web. The astronomy Web site features full descriptions of course requirements, interactive practice test questions, an astrophysical calculator, and an astronomy discussion group. Riedinger said the practice test questions are by far the most popular element of the Web site, which is "fairly obvious from the number of hits" before exam time.

She said "a lot more interaction" is being developed for the site, for example, letting students change the parameters to see what happens when an atom interacts with light.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Riedinger also devotes time to departmental and university service. She chairs the Physics Department's Student Appeals Review Committee and Non-Major Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. She also serves in the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center.

When advising potential physics majors, Riedinger said the first question she always asks is "how much math have you had?" She explained that sometimes students "may have no idea what physics means" and don't realize that it isn't simply sitting around talking about concepts, but understanding the math behind them.

"Then, if that doesn't faze them," Riedinger said she inquires about a student's background from high school, as well as future goals, as the paths will be different for a potential high school teacher and a research scientist. She also emphasizes the importance of computer skills, which are always marketable due to their transferability.

Riedinger has earned tremendous respect as an educator over the course of her career, and in the process has served as a role model for young women in science. In reflecting on her own experience as a student, she said that her "summation of graduate school was that if you were a woman, you'd better be sure you were better than anyone else."

"Today," she said, "you wouldn't need to feel that way."

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Cathy Large didn't choose physics as a career so much as she got hooked on it while working toward another major.

Large, a graduate student in physics, was a biology major while an undergraduate at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia. However, part of her degree requirements included a physics course, and that's when her focus changed.

"I got hooked," she said.

Large explained that her professional interest has always been in cancer research, specifically childhood leukemia. As a kid, she said, she did a lot of fundraising for St. Jude's Hospital, which got her thinking about what she would like to do when she grew up. When she started college, a biology degree seemed the logical choice to start a career in research. But those plans changed somewhat when a physics course added a new dimension to her study.

"I've always had this curiosity for the way things work," Large said. "Apply the physics to biological systems and I have my perfect world. Biophysics pulled all this together for me."

Large went on to graduate from Emory and Henry College in 1993 with a degree in physics. She came to UT to get a master's degree, and is finishing her study under the direction of Dr. Solon Georghiou, with whom she has been working for the past two years.

The primary player in Large's graduate research is deoxyguanosine, one of the building blocks of DNA. She explained that by subjecting it to different environments and observing how its fluorescent properties change, she can gain insight into the dynamics of DNA and the forces responsible for its stability, as well as for the formation of photodefects in it.

As a graduate student, she said her biggest challenge is taking the pieces of information and putting them together like a mosaic to reach a final picture.

Large is wrapping up her graduate work and anticipates graduating this December. She plans to find a position that offers an opportunity to work in cancer research. She would also like to work on a Ph.D. in the future, and said many companies who hire biophysicists not only encourage doctoral work, but are also willing to finance it.

Large said that she sees a strong job market in biophysics right now, particularly with pharmaceutical companies. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the research, she said she "expects to see lots of crossover opportunities" emerging for students who choose this course of study.

"I think it's going to be a strong field for a long time," she said.

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The qualifying exams that torment many physics graduate students never really bothered Nancy Grady, largely because she started preparing mentally for them around the fifth grade.

Grady graduated from UT's College Scholars Program in 1979 with an emphasis in physics and math. She is now leader of the Intelligent Data Exploration and Analysis Group in the Computer Science and Mathematics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Her bent toward science, however, began long before she claimed a college major.

Grady remembers when her dad, Dr. Harvel Wright, was finishing his Ph.D. in math while working in ORNL's Health and Safety Research Division. Her own enthusiasm for problem solving, in addition to observing her father's career, made one point clear to her when she was only 11 years old.

"I never had any doubt that I would be taking a qualifying exam," she said.

Grady explained that she always enjoyed working with computers and math puzzles, and by age 13, she had started programming. When she was a student at West High School, her chemistry teacher arranged for her to have a UT computer account because her best computer access was to a machine with only 4K of memory. As a junior, she wrote a program for the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair and won second place. However, she had to convince the judges, who were from UT, that the program was original, because they had seen it before. She had to explain that her work had been transferred between university accounts, which was probably how they had first noticed it.

Despite the fact that she grew up with a mathematician father, like her older brother, Dr. Michael Wright, (who also graduated from UTK in physics), Grady knew mathematics was not going to be the career choice for her.

"Math is more abstract," she said, and "I can't say that proving 0+0=0 stimulated me all that much."

She said that in high school she managed to eliminate other fields of study like chemistry ("too smelly"), economics ("too out of control; you can never prove you're right"), and pre-med ("I couldn't memorize") before deciding on physics. Grady said she liked the more practical applications and challenges physics offered.

"In physics, you remember a few basics and then derive the rest," she said. "It's the analytical skills that are your biggest legacy."

After finishing her bachelor's degree with advisor Bill Bugg, Grady went on to the University of Virginia to pursue a Ph.D.

"We had a fairly small class going in," she said. "There were only eight people, and three were women. We were real oddsbreakers."

Although she has often been the only woman in a meeting or other professional situation, Grady said that has never presented a problem for her. "I have never experienced a situation where I felt someone did not take me seriously because I was a woman," she explained. "In my experience, theoretical physics has been a very gender neutral environment."

After finishing her doctorate in 1985, Grady spent two years as a visiting Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University, where she taught physics for pre-med students. From there she won a Wigner Fellowship at ORNL that brought her back to East Tennessee.

Grady started out in the Metals and Ceramics Division working on stability modeling of high temperature superconductors, and beginning work in first principles computational materials science. When funding for that work got a bit murky, she moved to manage ORNL's Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, which gave her a good overview of the laboratory and the scope of its projects. Grady explained that this allowed her time to think about what she really wanted to work on in terms of research. It became clear that her real interest was in computational modeling, data analysis, and visualization. The Intelligent Data Exploration and Analysis Group that Grady currently leads affords her the opportunity to investigate these research paths.

Some present projects include data mining, visual exploration of neutron scattering data, and visualization of digital holograms. The group has applied neural networking and decision trees algorithms to predict bankruptcy based on credit card transactions. Currently, they are in discussion with the State of South Carolina Department of Statistics to scope out a study on government services. By determining how people move through the system, Grady says they can find the best way to streamline processes, cut down on numbers of forms, and eliminate duplication of effort.

Such a project would show "how to reach more people with better resources," Grady explained. "It would improve the quality of life for a number of people and optimize the use of state government resources."

In addition to her ORNL research, Grady has taken a position as a research professor with UT's Joint Institute for Computational Science (a unit of the Science Alliance). Part of her work involves implementing visualization into introductory parallel computing tutorials.

Grady credits a physics background with providing flexibility in career options. Solid experience with computational problem solving and a good understanding of math and science basics can help make transitions across the professional landscape much smoother.

"What you're doing first is unlikely to be what you'll continue to do forever," Grady said. "Physics is so valuable because it is so versatile."

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Back to Cross Sections, Spring 1998 issue.