Advertisement Like most scientists, Call is in a world of her own, one I briefly inhabited until I was asked to leave in 10th grade. (The atom theory proved too much for me.)
“Are you saying this chair is moving?” I said to my exasperated chemistry teacher. “I don’t think so.”
Science wasn’t easy for 19-year-old Call, either. “It was the only thing I ever had to work for,” said the Logan High School grad. So, naturally, she pursued science, and was accepted into Kettering University, a prestigious engineering school in Michigan.
You may have seen Call, with her glasses and short, highlighted hair, in a recent issue of “U.S. News and World Report.” Posing with her hand on her hip, staring straight at the camera with a look of fierce determination, Call seems to be asking, “You talkin’ to me?”
The ad, part of a marketing campaign for Kettering, also can be seen on Kettering’s Web page and, to Call’s surprise, on a giant screen at Detroit’s International Auto Show. “I wasn’t expecting anything to come out of these pictures,” she said, “but mine keeps showing up for some reason.”
Here’s one possible reason: Call is among the few women attending Kettering. In fall 2005, only 15 percent of the university’s enrollment was female, according to the school’s Web site.
“I think there’s less of a push (for women to study science),” she said. “It’s not that they don’t want to, it’s that no one ever brings it up, like, ‘Maybe you should try this.’”
Not everyone understands Call’s attraction to science, including her mother. But Call doesn’t take that personally. “I can’t really blame her,” Call said. “It’s not for everyone.”
As part of Kettering’s program, Call works half the year at Argonne National Labs in Chicago, where she researches fuel cells and catalysts.
“It’s complicated,” she admitted. “I go to work, and I work with Ph.D.s. It’s completely over my head, but I just want to know what they know.”
Call credits her teachers at Logan for always encouraging her. “They’d always go out of their way to help you get ahead.”
Her favorite class? Advanced Placement Chemistry. “We engineered a device to make bubbles,” Call said with glee.
Hey, I like blowing bubbles — Call and I have something in common.
Believe it or not, Call almost went to art school instead of engineering school. A gifted painter, she might go back to art school after working as an engineer for a while.
Now she can add “model” to her list of credentials, too. The job may not be as complicated as “engineer,” but it’s still challenging, especially first thing in the morning. “My hair was wet and was drying funny,” Call lamented.
Jenny Dolan can be reached at (608) 791-8220 or jdolan@lacrossetribune.com.
