Kasey is from Homer, Alaska, and is currently attending Boston University. Kasey did her undergrad at DePauw University in Indiana. Here are her responses to some questions:
What have you studied in science or are currently studying?
I started out in science by being very interested in Biology, particularly Marine Biology, around my hometown and I developed a love for the sea. In undergrad I was slightly side-tracked into Computer Science when all the intro Biology classes were full. I ended up completely hooked on programming and majored in CS. By the time graduation came around, I realized that I missed studying "real" things and decided to apply my programming skills to graduate school in an unrelated field. I applied to many different projects and I am currently pursuing a PhD in Geophysics studying oceanic earthquakes.
Do you have any ideas on what a middle school student could do in Science right now?
Ask around. Find out what people are doing in your community. I did a short stint entering data (very boring, but paid) for a researcher in my hometown but it later lead to a project using GPS tracks of orca whales. You never know what kinds of things people need help with, or where it may lead.
What or who inspired you to get into Science in the first place? What do you like about Science?
My hometown is an intersection of mountains and ocean and I loved observing all the natural things and how they interacted with one another and their environment. Trying to understand how things work is what science is all about, and there are so many questions we still have to answer.
What advice do you have for a middle school student who is interested in becoming a scientist?
Develop your skills, first by just paying attention in class and second by taking an online course to learn programming such as this one: http://www.codecademy.com/en/tracks/python
Kasey added this:
Learn to code! It has nothing to do with math and it is so much fun. It will also impress a LOT of people and lead to more $$ in your future.