#SoCaltech: Olivia Harper Wilkins

“I wrote Astrochemistry for someone who was like myself when I was starting grad school: a chemist trying to break into astronomy not having taken an astronomy course. I had an idea to write and illustrate a book about the molecular universe. I talked it over with Caltech librarian Donna Wrublewski, who contacted people in ACS [American Chemical Society] publications. They decided it would be perfect for their new digital ACS In Focus series. Then, I told my research adviser, Geoff Blake, about the project. He was really supportive and agreed to be my mentor; the In Focus books pair early-career researchers with more senior mentors as co-authors. I consulted his cosmochemistry notes, and he was helpful in outlining the book. We had a lot of conversations. I wrote the text and contributed illustrations, and the book, which is digital, takes advantage of the ability to integrate videos, animations, and interviews with experts alongside the text. I’m excited that readers will be able to see different processes play out as they read about them, and I hope the interviews will be especially helpful in sharing different aspects of astrochemical research while also serving as a sort of time capsule for the field. I don’t think the ACS called the book a primer, but Geoff did. That made it feel like I was doing something special, introducing people to something, getting people ready to do research. That was validating. And my groupmates think it is such a cool thing. That’s something I really appreciate about Caltech: even though a lot of the things I do might be more personal projects, they always have community backing. I take a detour to write a book, and I get people cheering for me!” 

Olivia Harper Wilkins is a graduate student in chemistry, a former NSF Graduate Research Fellow, former co-director of the Caltech Project for Effective Teaching, a mother, an artist, and a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and the American Chemical Society. She co-authored Astrochemistry with Geoff Blake (PhD ’86), professor of cosmochemistry and planetary sciences and professor of chemistry.

  PREVIOUSLY: #CaltechTogether with Olivia Harper Wilkins

#SoCaltech is an occasional series celebrating the diverse individuals who give Caltech its spirit of excellence, ambition, and ingenuity. Know someone we should profile? Send nominations to magazine@caltech.edu.