Graduate Student Highlight: Albanie Hendrickson-Stives
Each week, the Department of Chemistry highlights a graduate student who is doing interesting and exciting work within the department. In this installment of our highlight series, we are featuring Albanie Hendrickson-Stives, who is a fourth-year student in the Keating group.
Albanie’s research involves studying reconfigurable microparticle assemblies using alternating current electric fields; in the long term, she hopes to create tunable functional devices.
Outside of the lab, Albanie is the president of the State College chapter of Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) and is the graduate student advocate for the Department of Chemistry. In the past, she has also served as the Young Women in STEM Workshop co-chair for GWIS and the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) K-12 Education and Outreach Team leader.
This week, we met virtually with Albanie to discuss her life in and outside of the lab! Please enjoy our interview with Albanie Hendrickson-Stives.
Question: How did you get interested in chemistry?
Answer: I am from a small rural town. My uncle happened to teach a good majority of the science classes at my high school, and chemistry was one of them (he also taught physics and forensic science)! He was a very enthusiastic teacher who always encouraged everyone to ask questions, which I really enjoyed. He also did the coolest demos at the beginning of class and that was what really got me hooked. They could be the simplest of demos, like showing static electricity, or the most flashy demos, like lighting something on fire. I just really liked how he would tie in something we see everyday to help explain a topic in chemistry. It led me to see science in everything around me!
Q: What inspires you as a scientist?
A: I think I am most inspired by the ability to share knowledge and new information. I also enjoy the critical thinking skills that come with being a scientist. My hope is that, through science outreach, I can help teach this desire to know more to the next generation (and maybe even their parents if they are present during outreach).
Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of? (Either as a scientist, or otherwise)
A: I am pretty proud of the fact that I am this far into graduate school and hoping to finish soon! I didn't ever think I would be in graduate school trying to get my PhD; I didn't even know it was a thing I could do until my junior year of college. So it's pretty cool to think about where I am now.
I am also pretty proud of being a part of this year's GWIS State College organization. Even though it was a tough year doing everything virtually, we accomplished a ton! And I think we managed to make a stronger community while doing it. Watching everyone see their plans through to the end of the year and also connect with one another virtually was just really cool.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in a town called Portville in western New York. It is a very small rural town just about one and a half hours south of Buffalo, New York and about five minutes (if that) from the border of Pennsylvania. Fun fact: The name of my hometown originates from its large role in shipping lumber and other things down the Allegheny River that runs through town.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: I feel like I have so many hobbies that I rotate through. I enjoy reading, watching TV shows and movies, listening to all kinds of music, camping, and jet skiing. During the pandemic I have also started to learn how to play the acoustic guitar.
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: YES! I have a seven-year-old leopard gecko named Thor (I'm a big Marvel fan).
Q: What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
A: One of the ways I like to spend a day off is just enjoying nature, either by hiking or by just being outdoors and appreciating all of the small things we miss on a daily basis because our lives are so fast paced.
Q: What’s your dream vacation?
A: This is a tough question for me because I have so many different vacations I would like to take (also, the pandemic has made me realize that I need to do the things I want to do while I still can). If I was limited to just the US I would like to visit all of the national parks. If I could go anywhere in the world I would love to visit Iceland. Everything there just looks so pretty!
Thanks to Albanie for these interesting and thoughtful answers! We hope you enjoyed this interview. Stay tuned for more graduate student highlights in the weeks to come!