Welcome to the Evolving Folks Project’s “Evolved Woman of the Week” profile. Each week, we will highlight an individual who embodies what it means to be an evolved person, famous and non-famous alike. The world needs to know their stories and deeds. Today’s honor goes to the former actress, author, and associate professor of physics and astronomy at UC Irvine, Dr. Aomawa Shields.
Dr. Shields says that, at age 12, the film Space Camp caused her to ponder the question, “Are We Alone?” She went to Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated in 1993. At Exeter Academy, she and other physics enthusiasts would get up before sunrise to observe Jupiter’s moons. Shields went to MIT to study Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences after leaving Exeter. Initially, she pursued a physics PhD; however, she ended up earning an MFA in acting at UCLA. Her acting work history featured a role in the 2005 film titled Nine Lives.
Dr. Shields, who loved space and science, got a job at Caltech as a helpdesk operator for the Spitzer Space Telescope. Her work experience led to her auditioning for and co-hosting the Wired Science podcast. Shields needed a PhD to advance. Once she had explored various career options, such as science TV hosting and astronaut training. She earned a master’s degree in 2011 and a PhD in astronomy and astrobiology in 2014 from the University of Washington. This was after she had taken an 11-year break from her undergraduate studies. Her advisors were Victoria Meadows and Cecilia Bitz, and her dissertation was called “The Effect of Star-Planet Interactions on Planetary Climate.”
Dr. Shields got an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship to work at the Center for Astrophysics after earning her PhD. She became the Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor at UC Irvine in 2016. Shields is studying the potential for life on small planets circling dim stars. She uses Earth’s climate models to study exoplanets. Her research considers factors such as a planet’s orbit, atmosphere, and spin. When studied, these factors help scientists identify planets that might support life.
Dr. Shields has been popularizing science for a long time before she got her PhD. She appeared in an episode of the PBS show NOVA. Dr. Shields launched an outreach program using her postdoctoral grant money. She wanted to use her own experiences to encourage girls from non-traditional backgrounds to explore careers in astronomy. She created a workshop titled Universe: More than Meets the Eye. Middle-school girls are the target audience for this interactive workshop. It shows them that a planet’s first look may not show if it can sustain life. The workshop inspires girls to reflect on their own feelings and perceptions of others.
Shields currently leads Rising Stargirls, an outreach program she founded that combines astronomy with theater, writing, and visual arts. The group’s goal is to spark girls’ interest in astronomy.
Dr. Shield’s honors and awards include: Kibbe Science Lecturer, NASA Grant, Luce Professorship, Origins Project Award, Kavli Fellow, TED Fellow, NSF Fellowship, and UC Fellowship (2014-2015). Dr. Shields discusses her grant work for girls of color.
“That’s the age when girls start to become quiet, not raise their hands as much, and become more concerned with outward appearances and less about being proud and confident in what they are learning,” … “I really wanted to get those girls early and expose them to all different types of astronomy education.”
Today, we honor Dr. Aomawa Shields as our Evolved Woman of the Week.
Evolving Folks Project 