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The doors you never knew existed can lead to the most rewarding career paths, says scientist Elizabeth Eide 鈥�88. 

That ambitious spirit led to Eide鈥檚 current role as executive director for the Center for Health, People, and Places at the .

鈥淏e prepared for different doors opening that you wouldn't expect,鈥� said Eide, who was a geology major and government minor at Franklin & Marshall.

After graduating from F&M and earning a doctorate in geology from Stanford University, Eide seized an opportunity in an overseas placement. 

鈥淚 applied to the private sector. I applied to nonprofits. I applied to assistant professorships. I applied to post-doctoral programs. And one happened to be for a foreign program based in Norway,鈥� Eide said. 

That application led to a 12-year post as a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Norway.

Eide returned to the states 20 years ago to begin her tenure at The National Academies, a nonprofit, nonadvocacy organization that provides scientific information and advice to policy- and decision-makers and the public.

Eide is the College鈥檚 1988 Williamson Medalist and an inductee for women's lacrosse. Her contributions to STEM extend far beyond campus as a 1995 Fulbright scholar in Norway and member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. 

On Oct. 30, Eide sat down with students and staff to field questions about her career path. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Ben Fraley 鈥�27: What led you to major in geology?

When I began as a student, I didn't know what I wanted to do. A liberal arts education was great for me because I could take a lot of different classes to figure that out. I had always been interested in geology. I didn't know at the time that F&M had one of the best geology departments in the country for a school of its size. I was just blown away. The faculty were fantastic. The [introductory] class was amazing. I loved the labs and the field trips. 

Then, I took an oceanography class with a fabulous faculty member 鈥� Roger Thomas [John W. Nevin Memorial Emeritus Professor of Geosciences]. He really made science come alive. Geology was something that I really enjoyed and was curious about. I had such amazing faculty and other students to work with, and opportunities including internships and field camp in the summer. I had a lot of mentors at the time. 

Josh Kulak 鈥�26: What advice do you have for students entering the workforce or looking to further their education?

It鈥檚 a tough job environment including some of the changes taking place within academic research environments and the wider workforce. But it doesn't mean you don't try. If it's something that you're passionate about and really want to do, continue to head in that direction. But, be prepared that you may have a way station along the road where you need to remain for a while. Do various things; keep exploring. 

In any time period with any particular administration or market swing, history has shown us that those are temporary elements. They change. They swing in another direction at some point. It's hard to look at the whole arc of a life 鈥� of a career 鈥� in that one moment. Try to keep it in that context. With every challenge and door closing, I actually believe that there may be an opportunity that you didn't think about. That allows the aperture to expand a little bit. Take a look at this wider space. Keep a variety of options open.

"A key for me has always been the people around me 鈥� mentors, colleagues, supervisors, teammates and friends 鈥� who helped me along the way. You never achieve anything alone."

Elizabeth Eide '88

Ben Fraley 鈥�27: What was it like to exit college and not only go into the real world, but enter a new country and new environment? 

I could pack all of my possessions into a tiny car and drive across the country. Things seemed much simpler in a way. But getting to a new place with a new culture on the West Coast, and then international opportunities, was really formative for me. Adapting to different cultures 鈥� especially when they're speaking a different language 鈥� is really important. So is being able to communicate in ways that don't necessarily involve the spoken word 鈥� and trying to spend more time listening, which I鈥檓 still practicing. 

Tim Brixius 鈥�00: How did F&M prepare you as a leader in your field?

The liberal arts education and the opportunities that a school the size of F&M offered were particularly suitable for someone like me. I didn't know I was going to be a geology major, but the strength of the program and the opportunities it offered were really important to me and helped build different kinds of networks and experiences I could take with me into graduate school, and then into the work that I did subsequently and now. 

The liberal arts opened up doors to think about the importance of things like communication, interacting with others who aren't necessarily in your field, and adapting to new situations. A key for me has always been the people around me 鈥� mentors, colleagues, supervisors, teammates and friends 鈥� who helped me along the way. You never achieve anything alone.

F&M students gather in Druker Commons to hear Elizabeth Eide '88 discuss her career path to executive director for the Center for Health, People, and Places at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Deb Grove)

"When I began as a student, I didn't know what I wanted to do. A liberal arts education was great for me because I could take a lot of different classes to figure that out," Eide said. (Photo by Deb Grove)

Ben Fraley '27, a government and Spanish double major, asked Elizabeth Eide '88 a series of questions before opening the floor to other students and staff. (Photo by Deb Grove)

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