Dr. Daniels has traveled the globe because of science, attending and presenting at many different conferences, throughout the United States and across Europe. It was through science that her passions became reality and allowed her to become the successful woman that she is today.
Dr. Daniels is a Science Policy Scientist within the United States federal government, holding a high-level position that is tasked with the oversight of federal inspections. This involves the review of safety and health inspections and collection of field samples by federal investigators, providing feedback through the scope of the law.
Dr. Daniels' concentration is in industrial hygiene, the science of anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace conditions that may cause workers' injury or illness. Dr. Daniels is charged with communicating the science, as well as interpreting and writing the standards and regulations.
Prior to becoming a Science Policy Scientist, Dr. Daniels was a Federal Investigator herself, landing her initial position within the agency through her prior experience as a lab scientist in analytical chemistry.
Dr. Daniels earned her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Chemistry from The Graduate Center (CUNY), in partnership with Hunter College, securing a postdoctoral position as a Research Chemist for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Through networking and attending professional development conferences, Dr. Daniels was able to transition to a job as an investigator within the federal government.
Dr. Daniels took an interest in science at an early age, citing it as a form of expression. "I like the fact that science allows me to really be myself. It lets me be creative."
Dr. Daniels' passion for science was further solidified in high school, when she received an opportunity to work in a hospital lab.
"It was my very first experience working in an official lab. For me, that was a very exciting time. The mentor I had there, was a woman like me, and that was very inspiring. She pushed me into the science field and by the time I got to college, it didn't feel foreign to me," said Dr. Daniels.
Dr. Daniels attended Hunter through the William E. Macaulay Honors Program. The Macaulay Honors College provides outstanding educational opportunities for academically gifted students from the five boroughs of New York City and beyond. Its program is designed for students who have demonstrated scholastic strength and broad intellectual curiosity through their high school academic records, standardized test scores, extracurricular involvements, and other academic criteria.
As an undergraduate student, Dr. Daniels was able to pursue independent study research thanks to an additional scholarship from the Minority Biomedical Research Support-Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (MBRS-RISE) program. RISE provides underrepresented students majoring in biology, biochemistry, psychology and physics, opportunities to complete research training. Students participating in the program are provided financial, research and professional support to prepare them for Ph.D. programs in the biomedical sciences.
Apart from science, Dr. Daniels joined the Hunter women's volleyball team, having limited expertise in the sport, having only played volleyball in her high school senior year. However, she continued to learn the game and with a 5-11 frame, could be molded into an exceptional student-athlete.
But despite of the accolades she achieved during her tenure on the team, it was her relationship with her teammates that was the most memorable part of the whole experience.
"My team and I were incredibly close, and we still are to this day," said Dr. Daniels. "Every year we gather for a Friendsgiving and I see them all the time. We're so close that a few of us were pregnant at the same time, and it wasn't necessarily planned, but it just shows that when you're a team, you're so in-sync that it can translate into your personal life. That aside, when we were on the court, we played for one another. They were some of the fondest times I had, especially in college."
Not only has science afforded Dr. Daniels many lifelong memories, but volleyball has also. She and a group of CUNYAC student-athletes went to Argentina in 2005 as a part of the CUNY Goodwill Tour. Dr. Daniels went to South America with some of the league's most talented student-athletes for international competition and to give back to the community, an experience she will never forget.
"It was an amazing experience," said Dr. Daniels. "I always brag about all the opportunities that science afforded me, and I forget that volleyball did the exact same thing. It was definitely a check on my bucket list. It was an opportunity to explore a different country, to immerse myself in their culture and to give back."
While Dr. Daniels enjoyed success on the court, she credits the support she received from her coaches and the Hunter Athletic Department that helped her embody what it means to be a student-athlete.
"I personally had a lot of support from the athletic department, particularly from athletic director, Terry Wansart," said Dr. Daniels. "She was really supportive of my academic and athletic careers every year that I played. It was really beneficial to have that support and care for my academics."
In addition to Dr. Daniels' federal work with science, she continues to share her science passion and knowledge with others, spending the last few years as an adjunct professor. Dr. Daniels began
teaching at Hunter College as a graduate student, and upon graduation, Dr. Daniels taught at several other colleges, including CUNY institutions Lehman College and Medgar Evers, in addition to the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Montgomery College (Md.) and Middlesex County College (N.J.).
"As an Adjunct professor, I like to make my students feel comfortable and at ease," said Dr. Daniels. "One of the things that turns people off of science is the feeling of it being foreign and too difficult. I love teaching. I love helping students open their minds to accepting science and ridding themselves of feeling like it's something that's unachievable. I feel like it's an opportunity for me to really pull someone up who needed it."
Working for the United States government while part-time teaching would keep most busy enough with their time, but not Dr. Daniels, as her passion for science has led her into becoming an author.
"I'm huge on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), so I'm a strong advocate for people really exploring
STEAM opportunities and STEAM careers."
Dr. Daniels is the author of the children's book, Building my Self-eSTEAM in Science: Volume 1, inspired by her combined passion for STEAM and mentorship. In the book, Dr. Daniels gives the
reader a glimpse of what it was like as a kid who was interested in Science but didn't have the resources nor confidence to believe she would be successful at it. Her story is not just meant to be inspirational, but to empower other students in across multiple disciplines.
"I thought that one of the best ways to combine my two passions was to write a book that talked about STEAM and boosting the confidence of kids. I started jotting down ideas for the book in my phone at first and it just kept going and eventually I reached out to a publisher who loved the idea from the very beginning. We started working together as a team and long story short, we have a book!"
Dr. Daniels believes her experience as a student-athlete helped her to move further along in her career today. "It allowed me to be better at juggling different things that I do and to tackle the roller coasters that I go through in my life," commented Dr. Daniels. "You have to understand how to rebound sometimes, and volleyball helped me learn that. It also taught me discipline, which I has helped me get things done in a reasonable timeframe and how to deal with people who don't necessarily think like me or agree with the way I do things."