Ever wonder what kind ofchat up linesartificial intelligence service ( AI ) might try ? How about what variety ofLove warmness candiesit might publish on Valentine ’s ? Thanks to machine learning blogger and author ofYou Look Like A Thing And I Love You , Janelle Shane , you do n’t have to .

When she ’s not challenging neuronal nets , Shane is busy wielding lasers in her office as a older research scientist . We caught up with Shane to find out more about her scope ,   the little - known science of optic , and the endure versatility of business cards .

What do you do ?

I am a Senior Research Scientist in optics .

What did it take to get here ?

The field I ’m in is optics , but there are n’t many university that have a specific program in optics . I major in electrical engineering , did research in a physical chemistry lab , and then went on to get a captain ’s degree in physics and a Ph.D. in electrical applied science . In each place I was working with laser and mold light , so it was all eye , even if my degree did n’t say eye .

I should note that you do n’t need a Ph.D. or even a college level to work in optics . There are circle of optic companies that hire and gear technicians and do n’t expect you to have had a chance to do optics - related body of work antecedently . You might be down lenses and other kinds of glass , gather parts , or testing optics .

( At other time , Shane can be found turning her curio to holographic coffee )

conceive of you ’ve take on yourself as a stripling at a careers sightly : How would you describe what you do to your former self ?

I design equipment that regulate light . If you bounce brightness off one of the twist , or go by illumination through this apparently clean-cut windowpane , it can change direction , refocus , or even mold itself into a fast - moving image . mass use them for studying the brain , guide laser beam of light to activate single neuron to see how they process stuff like vision and sound . hoi polloi also utilise them to steer the optical maser radar systems in cars , scanning apace across a view to build up an accurate depth mathematical function .

What I do is partially on the computer , preparation and organizing my team , research what to run on next , or compose report or proposals . It ’s also partly in the lab , and my favorite part is aligning the optical maser beam , where I get to use all these lenses and mirror to set up the laser for my experiment .

What ’s the most uncouth misconception about your occupation of work ?

A lot of people do n’t even know that eye exists ! I was lucky to have an auntie who ’s an optics professor who told me all about her work .

Any proud moments on the Book of Job ?

There are all sorts of micro - victories . I have been known to do a little dance when the laser light first appears on the camera , or when I make the first measuring of something that was completely nameless before .

What about any memorable missteps ?

There are a lot of moments of “ oops , it ’s not ferment because the laser ’s not on ” .

What do you never leave the sign of the zodiac without ?

Although they ’re phasing out everywhere else , business organisation cards are extremely utile in an optics laboratory . They ’re just the correct size to hold in a optical maser beam of light to see where it ’s hold up . They even work on normally invisible ultraviolet lasers , since the bleach in the paper will glow orange .

What ’s one piece of advice you ’d give to someone want to ship on the same career ?

See if you may determine a way to do research in an optics lab in undergrad . Ideally , pay inquiry , so you ’ll have more time for it and they ’ll also esteem your time more highly . Some university have programs that pay undergraduate to do enquiry , and the NSF also has a summertime research curriculum called Research Experience for Undergraduates .