Karen Harvey

We are sorry to inform you that Dr. Harvey passed away on April 30, 2002. Karen was a wonderful person and an excellent scientist who had many friends around the world. She was active in Solar Week since its inception, answering many questions from students, and we retain the story of her career here as an inspirational example of someone who never gave up her interest in science.

My name is Karen Harvey and I am a scientist. I was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. Most of my early life was spent in Southern California until I married in 1968. Since then I have lived in Tucson, Arizona. I work at the Solar Physics Research Corporation as an Astronomer and as its President. This company was formed to provide a mechanism to handle grants and contracts for doing solar research.

My childhood was normal with a great deal of support from my parents in the activities that interested me. My interest in science comes primarily from my Dad, who worked in designing space satellite experiments. In junior and senior high school, I took all of the science and math classes that were offered, participated in science fairs, and was a member of the science club . Also encouraging my curiosity and imagination was my favorite type of reading at the time, science fiction.

My earliest memory about the Sun is using a 4-inch telescope to observe and record sunspots on a daily basis. These observations led to several science fair projects, which I am pleased to note, won some awards.

My interest in science became focused when I was a teenager with the purchase of a 4-inch reflecting telescope by my parents. Their support of my interest in becoming a scientist, in particular, an astronomer, helped me a great deal in reaching my goal.
Originally, it was not my intent to become a solar physicist. But on September 2, 1960, I was one of the fortunate few to observe a white-light flare visually. This observation led to my contact with the Lockheed Solar Observatory, which also observed the flare in the spectral line of H-alpha. Through the help of my undergraduate advisor at UCLA, Dr. George Abell, I wrote and had published my first scientific paper on this flare. It was this observation and my contact with the staff Lockheed Solar Observatory that redirected the course of my astronomical career into solar physics.

I entered University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in September 1960 and received my B.A. in Astronomy-Physics in 1964 and a M.A. in Meteorology in 1969 after taking a couple of years off to work. My doctorate was obtained many years later (1993) through the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands under Dr. Cornelis Zwaan.

My current research covers a broad range of subjects, including the sources of solar irradiance, variability, the formation and evolution of coronal holes, sources of coronal mass ejections, small-scale coronal structures (coronal bright points) and their relation to the dynamics and evolution of magnetic fields, the study of the evolution of the large scale magnetic field and active regions, the solar cycle.

My time is typically spent doing research for which I have grants. Since I have four such grants covering many of the topics described in response to the previous question, I divide my time between these projects, keeping in mind the research time table for the grant and upcoming meetings at which I present results from these research projects.

Solar physics is a field I really love. There is so much to learn about the Sun and the new ways to observe it. The Sun is also important to the Earth environment, affecting it often in unexpected ways. It is also a before or a new way of looking at phenomena on the Sun.

The computer is probably the one tool that helps me most in my job. My research generally involves looking at and comparing hundreds of images at various wavelengths. The most efficient way to do this comparison is with a computer and imaging processing software packages.
Two things give me the greatest satisfaction at being a scientist. First is the thrill of discovering something new and adding to the knowledge and our understanding of the physical processes taking place on the Sun. In addition, this understanding can be directly applied to many other phenomena in the universe, from other stars to black holes, making solar physics a very relevant area of research to astrophysics. The second is the importance of solar activity on the Earth and trying to understand that connection and the best ways to predict the influence of solar activity on the near Earth environment.

I would say that, basically, there is nothing I dislike about being a scientist.

It should be noted that the basic training of becoming an astronomer is the same regardless of the eventual field of endeavor. Many solar physicists have entered this field as, for example, physicists, chemists, scientists involved in the study of the interplanetary medium. Solar physics is a field that is specialized only in the astronomical object that is being studied.
My becoming a solar physicist, as happens to many in the field, happened somewhat by chance as noted above. My first step was the desire to become an astronomer. To obtain this goal, my studies from junior high on involved taking all of the math and science (chemistry and physics, in particular) that were offered by my schools. Once I entered college, a program was laid out by the Astronomy-Physics Department at UCLA that led directly to obtaining a B.A. in this field. During the summer, I worked at two places: the Lockheed Solar Observatory and the Kitt Peak National Observatory in the solar group. Both of these places provided important experience in developing and doing scientific research projects.

I continued to work at Lockheed Solar Observatory for a couple of years before returning to UCLA to get my Masters degree in Meteorology, This department was chosen because of the interest of one of the professors in the effects of the Sun on the Earth. My Master's thesis involved a study of how solar flares effect the Earth.

At this point, I began my career in solar physics in earnest with a move to Tucson with my husband. I worked as an independent contractor, doing work with a variety of institutions. In 1978, I started receiving grants of my own, which fortunately has continued successfully to date. In the mid-80s I was fortunate to be asked to complete my Doctorate at the University of Utrecht under the guidance of Dr. Cornelis Zwaan. While it took almost 10 years to complete my thesis (while raising a son and working on grants), it was certainly worth the effort to finish this one goal of mine that remained.

I have not encountered any obstacles to becoming a scientist. It has been a very positive experience all along the way. I do remember when I entered college my advisor saying that very few of the 100 students (particular female) would graduate with a degree in Astronomy. I took this not as a discouragement, but a statement of fact that only a few students would have the perseverance and determination to complete their studies in this field of study.

It is interesting being a woman in a field where most of the scientists are men. For me, it has led to some very strong friendships and collaborations with other women in this field, although most of my collaborations involve men. I have found that in general, the people in solar physics regard the quality and importance of one's work as the basis of judging one as a scientist, not their gender.

Reading, gardening, and cooking are activities that I particularly enjoy. They provide a great counterpoint to the objectivity and intensity of scientific research.
If you really want to pursue a career in science, my best advice is to believe in yourself that this is something that you can do. Once that belief is in place, the next step is to develop the knowledge through education and part-time and summer jobs to pursue this career.