STEM Pipeline Alive and Well as
Science Olympiad Impacts Former Contestant's STEM Career Choice

May 25, 2011

Dr. Jennifer Docktor
Dr. Jennifer Docktor, Illinois postdoc.

GET YOUNGSTERS HOOKED ON STEM when they're young, and when they're old, they'll choose STEM careers! Theoretically, that's how the STEM (science, engineering, technology and/or mathematics) pipeline is supposed to work, and Dr. Jennifer Docktor's journey along the pipeline is a perfect example. She began her voyage by getting involved in Science Olympiad at the age of 12 and credits her years in the science competition as playing a big part in her decision to enter the field of physics education.

Docktor wasn't particularly interested in science prior to joining her school's Science Olympiad team. In fact, when first asked to join, she declined; however, her wily junior high life science teacher (incidentally also the coach for the junior high Science Olympiad team), after unsuccessfully pestering her to get involved, convinced one of her girlfriends in class to join. Dragged along to the informational meeting by her friend, she was hooked from that point on. (It also didn't hurt that her team won the North Dakota state tournament and went to the Science Olympiad National Tournament [SONT] her first year!) In fact, her school's team went to SONT for five of the six years she was involved. Regarding Jamestown High School's amazing and, possibly unprecedented, record of being 1st in her state and, thus, advancing to the national tournament for all those years, Docktor modestly replied, "We had some really good science teachers, some good coaches, and some really motivated students at that time." In addition to the challenge of scientific competition and the thrill of victory, one of the perks of going to the national tournament so often was that she got to see quite a bit of the country: Tuscon, Arizona; Bloomington, Indiana; Atlanta, Georgia (the same year the Olympics was there—1996); Grand Rapids, Michigan; and in her senior year, Chicago, Illinois.

Along with having a lot of science teachers who inspired her, Docktor credits Science Olympiad as playing a big part in her choosing science as a career. "I think that Science Olympiad was the critical factor in getting me interested in science to begin with. When I was in seventh grade or in junior high, I don't think I would have become interested in science without being part of the Science Olympiad at that age. It helped develop that interest over the years. During the six years that I was in it, it gave me confidence that I could be successful; it made me see that I was interested in pursuing this as a future career."

2011 Illinois Science Olympiad contestants participating in Fossils event.
2011 Illinois Science Olympiad contestants participating in Fossils event.

During her stint in Science Olympiad, Docktor participated in quite a few events. Her foray into astronomy via "Out of this World/Reach for the Stars" almost tempted her later on to choose a career in astrophysics. She also participated in "Don't Bug Me" (entomology); Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils, in which students identify, describe, and classify various specimens (see photo to the left of 2011 ISO students during the "Fossils" event); "Experimental Design," where contestants were given a set of unknown objects and had to design, conduct, analyze, and write-up an experiment; and "Write It; Do It." In this technical writing exercise, one student wrote a description of a contraption, and other students would attempt to recreate it using only the written description. Docktor recalls that she was always the one who had to write it, and that she didn't know what she would be given ahead of time—apparently sort of like that recurring nightmare we have all had where the teacher is passing out a test for which we haven't studied.

Jennifer Docktor and teammate holding North Dakota State Tournament trophy.
Jennifer Docktor and teammate holding 1st place trophy during awards ceremony at the North Dakota State Tournament in spring 1999.

She also participated in "Mission Possible," where, prior to the competition, participants would design, build, test, and document a "Rube Goldberg-like device" that completed a required final task using a sequence of consecutive tasks. When asked about some of the more memorable events, Docktor reminisced, "There were certainly times when we would be panicking at the last minute, especially with these build-it events where you had to build something, like Mission Possible, and Mouse Trap Vehicle. If something happened in the transportation of that, you'd be making some quick emergency fixes. Certainly on long road trips there's a lot of fun things that happened." She reports that it was some of these events that got her to start thinking about what she wanted to be...what she wanted to study in college. She has also kept in touch with some of her old Science Olympiad buddies; several have gone on to pursue careers in science, such as engineering and computer science.

Docktor did her Masters in high-energy physics, and completed her in Ph.D. in physics education research in 2009. The topic of her dissertation was on problem solving—how students solve problems in physics—and how to better assess and develop instructional tools for problem solving.

Dr. Jennifer Doctor
Dr. Jennifer Docktor in lobby of Loomis Laboratory.

Currently a postdoctoral research associate, Dr. Docktor chose Illinois because of the strength of the research at the university and the opportunity to work with a couple of people well-known in the field whose research was interesting to her. According to Docktor, "The group here at Illinois was really attractive, and there are some really great researchers here...Beckman Institute presents an especially unique opportunity, because you can do interdisciplinary research, a collaboration between people in cognitive science, physics, and educational psychology, so I'm getting to learn more about the cognitive aspects of physics learning and problem solving." Her work here has involved an IES-funded (Institute of Education) project: Conceptual Analysis and Student Learning in Physics Cognition and Student Learning Program. This classroom-based study has been working with physics teachers from four local high schools. Illinois researchers developed a curriculum about problem solving, trained the teachers on it, observed the classroom instruction to see how well they were implementing it, then tested the students to assess their gains. Docktor has also done lab-based studies which involved finding out what students were paying attention to when they read through physics problems or solutions on a computer. This was done via the lab's special, eye-tracking technology, which tells researchers where students' eyes are gazing. Her research has also involved problem solving at a more basic level (What are people thinking about when they read, think, and learn?) and categorization—how people form categories or look for patterns when they see a lot of problems. Based on their findings on how people learn, the researchers have designed materials that can be implemented in the classroom and tried them out with some of the local high school physics teachers.

What's in Docktor's future?: a position as Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, continuing research in physics education, teaching physics classes, and also working with the secondary education program there to train future science teachers (which, I suspect, might involve encouraging her students to become Science Olympiad coaches once they are teachers!).

As a woman in physics, Docktor finds herself in the minority, and believes there is real value in programs like Science Olympiad: "There aren't very many women in physics, so programs like Science Olympiad that get kids interested in science at an early age, and especially that get girls interested in science, are really important."
More: Faculty Feature, Science Olympiad, STEM Pipeline, Women in STEM, 2011





SOLIDarity EXperiences (SOLIDEX) through the Eyes of Children

What do children aged 11-13 in two countries think about solidarity?
Full Story

Students launch ASL STEM Vocabulary App Company

Students launch ASL STEM Vocabulary App Company
Full Story

Innovation, Inspiration on display at the Undergraduate Research Symposium

Undergraduate Research Week took place April 23-29, 2023, and culminated Thursday, April 27, 2023
Full Story

What would you like to see – 3D printers? Magnets? Solar-powered racing cars? Robobrawl?

March 28, 2023
EOH occurs Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Full Story

Tour of Illinois’ Materials Research Lab through I-MRSEC sparks Franklin students’ interest in Materials Science

March 1, 2023
Students from the Champaign middle school had a tour of the Material Research Laboratory (MRL) in early February.
Full Story

Nobel Project’s End-of-Year Zoom Bash Recaps Learning

February 1, 2022
The STEM Illinois Nobel Project held a special, end-of-the-year Zoom event celebrating its participating students’ achievements.
Full Story

It’s not magic, it’s physics

January 26, 2022
In Franklin STEAM Academy, Musical Magnetism program makes STEM fun, approachable.
Full Story

Program prepares STEM educators to teach all students

November 30, 2021
This summer, a group of educators gathered to learn about engaging STEM activities they can do with their students.
Full Story

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program

November 11, 2021
Undergrads get a taste of research through I-MRSEC’s REU program.
Full Story

Goldstein’s Renaissance Engineering Summer Camp

November 1, 2021
Goldstein’s Renaissance Engineering Summer Camp Incorporates Art, Design, Mechatronics, and Mentoring
Full Story

TechTogether Chicago to Redefine the Hacker Stereotype

July 10, 2021
New workshops that can help inspire students to pursue careers in technology..
Full Story

Aerospace Engineering Launches Virtual Summer Camps to Pique Students’ Interest in Aero.

July 2, 2021
Design an aircraft then watch it soar after launching it with a huge rubber band. Build a Mars lander to safely transport a real egg, then test the contraption by dropping it from a second story window.
Full Story

Undergrads Experience Materials Science Research Courtesy of the I-MRSEC REU

June 16, 2021
Ten undergraduate students are spending the summer of 2021 discovering what research is like.
Full Story

MatSE Afterschool Academy

MatSE Afterschool Academy

June 14, 2021
MatSE Afterschool Academy to Introduce Students to Materials Science and Beyond.
Full Story

Taylor Tucker Embraces Multidisciplinary Interest

Taylor Tucker Embraces Multidisciplinary Interest

June 14, 2021
Taylor Tucker Embraces Multidisciplinary Interest While Researching Task Collaboration.
Full Story

Exposes Franklin Middle Schoolers to Science, CS

What Studying Engineering at Illinois is Like?

May 25, 2021
NSBE’s Michaela Horn Exposes Franklin Middle Schoolers to Science, CS, and What Studying Engineering at Illinois is Like.
Full Story

Jenny Saves a Convertible.

Children’s-Book-Writing Duo/

May 19, 2021
Convertibles and Thunderstorms—Children’s-Book-Writing Duo on Their Way Thanks to Illinois Training and Encouragement from Mentors.
Full Story

Improve Learning in Engineering

Improve Learning in Engineering

May 17, 2021
Liebenberg Espouses Mini-Projects to Engage Students Emotionally, Improve Learning in Engineering.
Full Story

Joshua Whitely makes an adjustment to the 3D Bioprinter during the demo.

BIOE435 Capstone Projects

May 12, 2021
BIOE435 Capstone Projects - BIOE Seniors Use Knowledge/Skills to Problem Solve.
Full Story

Elani and Gonzalo shine a UV light on a rose that has absorbed a solution that has made it fluorescent.

Illinois Scientists Shine a (UV) Light on Fluorescence

May 7, 2021
What is fluorescence? What causes it?
Full Story

Joshua Whitely makes an adjustment to the 3D Bioprinter during the demo.

HackIllinois 2021 “Rekindled Connections” With The Tech Community

May 5, 2021
Annual student hackathon HackIllinois with the aim of developing projects on current problems facing society.
Full Story

A Shane Mayer-Gawlik image of the Bridger Aurora, part of his Night Skies photography collection exhibited at the Art-Science Festival.

The Art-Science Festival

April 26, 2021
Illinois Art-Science Festival: Illuminating the Universe...from the Quantum World to the Cosmos.
Full Story

Joshua Whitely makes an adjustment to the 3D Bioprinter during the demo.

Illinois Engineering Seniors Prepared to Change the World

April 22, 2021
Ready. Set. Go! Illinois Engineering Seniors Prepared to Change the World.
Full Story

HML 2021 Virtual Health

HML 2021 Virtual Health

April 19, 2021
Make-a-Thon Gives Citizen Scientists a Shot at Making Their Health-Related Innovations a Reality.
Full Story

I-MRSEC’s Music Video

I-MRSEC’s Music Video

April 7, 2021
I-MRSEC’s Music Video for EOH ’21 Plugs Graphene, 2D Materials
Full Story

Health Make-a-Thon Orientation

HML 2021 Health Orientation

March 30, 2021
HML 2021 Health Make-a-Thon Orientation Prepares Finalists for Competition.
Full Story

Andrea Perry shows Franklin students how to take apart the magnetic drawing board they received in their kit

Musical Magnetism

March 25, 2021
Musical Magnetism: Encouraging Franklin Middle Schoolers to Express Science Via the Arts.
Full Story

Carmen Paquette street performing.

Love of Science

March 9, 2021
Paquette Conveys Her Love of Science, Dance to Franklin STEAM Students Via Musical Magnetism.
Full Stroy

An Engineering Exploration participant exhibits the tower they built as part of the engineering challenge related to Civil Engineering

Engineering Exploration

March 2, 2021
SWE’s Engineering Exploration Outreach Lives Up to Its Name.

ChiS&E’s Family STEM Day

ChiS&E’s Family STEM Day

February 23, 2021
Helps Chicago Youngsters Progress Along the STEM Pipeline Toward Engineering.

Kathny Walsh

Kathy Walsh

February 17, 2021
On Her First Foray into STEAM, Kathy Walsh Acquaints Franklin Students with Microscopy, Haiku.

ChiS&E student

ChiS&E CPS Students

January 19, 2021
Illinois Undergrads Encourage ChiS&E CPS Students Toward Possible Careers in Engineering.

I-MRSEC’s Music Video

CISTEME365 Provides Year-Round PD/Community

January 4, 2021
to Illinois Teachers in Support of Informal STEM Education Efforts to Underserved Students.