Hard science and soft skills Hard science and soft skills Hard science and soft skills

A childhood watching “Star Trek” cultivated a love of astronomy and cosmology in Hannah Preisinger, ’19, ’25. But as a student majoring in culture, literature and the arts at the University of Washington Bothell—and definitely “not a physics kid”—she assumed pursuing this particular interest was off-limits to her. Luckily, Associate Professor of Physics Joey Shapiro Key refuses to see limits in students—or in science.

“Science is for everyone,” says Key, who strives in her classes and the student programs she leads to make STEM topics appealing and accessible, especially to students from groups commonly under­­represented in scientific fields.

Despite being an unconventional scientist, Preisinger excelled in The Cosmos, her first course with Key, in 2017. “It was a chance to explore my interests in a class that didn’t have high-level math prerequisites,” Preisinger says. “The focus was less on solving equations and more on fascinating conceptual topics such as the origin, shape and fate of the universe.”

Her top-notch classwork and obvious interest led to an invitation from Key to join the gravitational wave astronomy research group, which seeks to detect ripples in space-time caused by events like colliding black holes or neutron stars. The group conducts research with collaborations including the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). It’s one of multiple ways Key helps students develop their scientific and professional skills. She also heads the UW Bothell STEM Public Outreach Team (SPOT), a group of student ambassadors like Preisinger who visit K–12 schools to get young people excited about STEM opportunities; and the Space Science Computing Academy, funded by NASA’s Washington Space Grant, in which Key partners with Heritage University, on the Yakama Nation’s homelands in Toppenish, Washington, to bring students to the Bothell campus for STEM courses and professional development.

For many students regardless of major, Key’s courses—and her inclusive, passion-led mentorship—lead to a deeper appreciation for scientific research and discovery. Her profound commitment to creating a culture of belonging for these undergraduates, and encouraging them to make a positive impact in the world, earned her the inaugural Sr. Chief Ronald G. Gamboa Endowed UW Bothell STEM Faculty Fellowship, awarded last summer. The endowment funds are supporting this year’s SPOT ambassadors in their outreach work.

Jennifer McLoud-Mann, professor and dean of the UW Bothell School of STEM, sees Key’s work with SPOT as integral to increasing the pipeline of students in STEM disciplines. “Key is an exemplar of an undergraduate research mentor,” McLoud-Mann says. “She focuses not only on making research discoveries but also on developing student soft skills.”

Key has seen the importance of soft skills—like teamwork, communication, time management, leadership and critical thinking—in her work with international consortia such as LIGO and LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna mission spearheaded by NASA and the European Space Agency. Both have thousands of individuals collaborating across continents and decades on a shared scientific goal. “It’s not the same as doing a physics problem or analyzing the data with computers or even mentoring students,” Key says. “The way we all figure out how to work together to be able to make these discoveries, to enable this kind of science, to get it funded—it takes a lot of people to figure out how to make this kind of science work.”

This big-picture thinking is what fuels Key to build upon the technical skills taught in STEM classes, helping students build the people skills that can be just as crucial in real-world applications, no matter what field they enter after graduating.

Preisinger, who left her “comfy tech job” to now pursue a master’s degree in international studies at the UW in Seattle, is considering combining her experiences and education to work in the field of space policy. “Dr. Key showed me that it’s not just calculus experts who make meaningful contributions to awe-inspiring scientific research,” she says. “It turns out there are all kinds of ways that all kinds of people can contribute to amazing science.”

Investing in the future

Michelle Gamboa’s father had only a suitcase and a dream when he left the Philippines for Hawaii as a young man. His unshakable belief in hard work as a catalyst for opportunity is at the heart of the Sr. Chief Ronald G. Gamboa Endowed UW Bothell STEM Faculty Fellowship, which Gamboa, ’05, established in her late father’s name to support distinguished faculty in mentoring undergraduate research.

A UW alumna in computer science and software engineering and current co-chair of the UW Bothell School of STEM Advisory Board, Gamboa set up the endowment in 2019 and pledged $100,000 over five years. An anonymous donor grant through UW Bothell brought the amount to $150,000. Associate Professor Joey Shapiro Key was the inaugural recipient.

This June, at the UW Bothell STEM Symposium Awards, another faculty member will be chosen to receive the annual earnings on the invested total, which will continue to fund undergrad mentorship in perpetuity, supporting UW Bothell’s exceptional faculty in further fostering supportive learning environments, broadening access for those from underserved communities, and motivating students to make a positive impact.

Learn more about the Sr. Chief Ronald G. Gamboa Endowed UW Bothell STEM Faculty Fellowship.