Senior Physics Visit

When engineers say, ‘I wish I could…’ that inspires me – to solve the big problems.”

The Senior Physics students were in awe with the wisdom shared by Old Girl Dr Karen Willcox during her visit to the College. An encourager with a firm commitment to mentoring, Karen’s accomplishments highlighted to the students how steadfastness and a love of what you do can have a tremendous impact.

Karen is Director of the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Associate Vice President for Research, and Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin. Karen holds the W. A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr. Chair in SimulationBased Engineering and Sciences and the Peter O’Donnell, Jr. Centennial Chair in Computing Systems. Karen spoke highly of working at the University of Texas, where mentoring and teaching students, and engagement with the community, which is significantly Latinx and Hispanic, brought tremendous fulfilment to her role. “To see how education changes people’s lives is remarkable.” Our inspiring Old Girl also spoke highly of her university studies in New Zealand, saying that there are world-renowned engineering programmes in the country, like those at the University of Auckland (where Karen completed her undergraduate degree in Engineering) and the University of Canterbury.

The talk was filled with insights for the students. “You’ve got to fail, to learn,” Karen said, emphasizing that the path isn’t always without challenges. “You don’t have to be good at everything.” Speaking of physics, Karen noted that “sometimes the hardest things are the things worth sticking with.” She highlighted the role of those around you. “The most important skills are communication and teamwork.” Karen also shared with the students that “You need to identify people who can support you, like the cohort now around you.”

Asked about the other things that kept her buoyant during difficult times while studying, Karen instantly named two – her love of language, and specifically Latin. “Latin was totally awesome!” she said. The other? “I joined the rugby team, which was like getting a family and helped me escape from the stress of grad school. It was absolutely empowering and fun.”