WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL Alumni
PORTLAND, OREGON

http://www.wilsonalumni.com

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

SOIL SCIENTIST DIGS HER DIRTY JOB

After Wilson, Diane Stott '72 attended college at Oregon State (B.S. & M.S. in Microbiology). In 1978 she moved to Riverside, CA where she completed a Ph.D. in Soil Science at the University of California, Riverside. Diane then moved to Ames Iowa (Iowa State University) in March 1982 for a postdoctoral academic position, then joined a USDA-ARS (US Dept. of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service) at Pullman, WA (Washington State University). In January 1985, Diane joined the scientific staff of the USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory (NSERL) in West Lafayette, Indiana (home of Purdue University). She is a senior scientist with the NSERL and is an adjunct professor of soil science with the Dept of Agronomy, Purdue University. Diane says she has been fortunate to be in a profession that she enjoys and that has allowed her to work on projects across the country and internationally.

Diane met her future husband, Darrell Schulze, in 1985. He was and is a faculty member of Purdue's Dept. of Agronomy and is currently a Professor of Soil Science. They were married in 1987. Their son Brian is now 22 years old (born on Memorial Day – and that's a whole other story) and is a junior at Purdue, majoring in English, with a creative writing concentration, and computer graphics technology. Diane says that her son wants to design the storylines of computer games (pc or various gaming systems). Their daughter Kathrine is 15 (16 on Epiphany) and is a high school sophomore and intends to study Journalism.

Diane's favorite and most influential teachers at Wilson were: Mr. Anderson, Mr. Read, Mr. Murray, and Mr. Sipple. When asked about any advice for current Wilson students, Diane said that, "No matter what you intend to study after high school, you will need to know how to write well – that includes business and the sciences. Communication abilities are key. I spend ½ of each work day writing papers for publication or proposals and reports for those higher up in our agency." She adds that, "Now is the time to explore other areas and learn new skills – take a class that will teach cooking (I still remember the guy in our dorm that raided our refrigerator and cracked an egg – he had assumed that it would be cooked, he had never seen a raw egg). Take an art class. Learn the basics of woodworking, plumbing and electrical (save a bundle on repairs when you get your first house)." Diane also feels that it is important to "give back to your community, and when you reach the magic 18 – VOTE. Decisions are made by those that show up, including those that show up at the ballot box. You may think all the politics is boring, and tune it out, but that is where decisions are made that impact every facet of your life.