November 12, 2004

For Full-Time Mom, Yellow Brick Road Leads to NC State

Adcock

Pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering is no easy task. Try balancing intense studies and lab work with the demands of being the mother of two teenagers and an active member of numerous community service organizations.

Meet Mary-Kathryn “Kit” Adcock, summa cum laude graduate from North Carolina State University, May 2003. Spurred on by an innate urge to get the most out of her “free time,” she has achieved a remarkable goal.

Adcock’s initial motivation grew from her extensive volunteer activities. As part of her role with the Bald Head Island Conservancy, Adcock often discussed details of the Wilmington Harbor project with scientists throughout the state on how the widening, deepening and relocation of local waterways would affect area ecology. She wanted to learn more about the mechanics and engineering involved in potential solutions — and suspected people would pay closer attention to her ideas if she had better credentials. So, 20 years after receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University, Adcock decided to enter NC State’s mechanical engineering program.

Early on, she had to attend classes while her kids were in school. “I tried to do whatever I could do between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.,” she said. Adcock quickly recognized that traditional academic programs were geared toward a four-year plan. Still, the professors she took courses from were flexible and supportive of her non-traditional approach. And while she admits she could have tapered back her community involvement, “I wasn’t willing to give that up.”

Seven years later, at the resolute rate of two courses per semester, Adcock completed her degree. “I would not have been able to achieve this dream if I wasn’t able to go part time,” she said.

Perhaps more challenging than her prospective pace was the sudden realization that being a middle-aged student in a college environment made her feel like a minority. “I’d never felt that before, and it made me very uncomfortable in class. I mean, I was old enough to be these kids’ mom.” Then she realized it wasn’t the students that were making her feel that way — it was her own perception. “Once I got past my age issue, I had a blast.”

In fact, the students became an unexpected source of inspiration for her. “Meeting kids from all over the state and seeing what motivated them, as well as the struggles they go through and their ability to balance work and school, gave me courage and made me realize you’re never too young — or too old — to handle any of these things.”

Adcock’s diverse interests provided additional inspiration for unique engineering projects. As an avid croquet player and a member of the US Croquet Association, Adcock couldn’t help noticing the importance of engineering to her sport. “Croquet is like billiards on grass,” she explained. “The wickets in competitive croquet are only one-eighth inch wider than the ball — you’re working with very tight tolerances. So physics and engineering strategies, collisions and mechanics are all very important.”

For an honors project in a materials engineering class, Adcock studied the makeup of croquet mallets, many of which are custom-made. Adcock studied the various types of wood, head shapes and edgings that could affect a mallet’s center of percussion and overall ergonomics. She posted her results on the Internet and immediately received e-mails from zealous croquet players around the world.

Adcock even turned her love of ACC basketball into a paper — “Numerical Analysis of the Basketball Shot” — coauthored with mechanical engineering faculty members Dr. Larry Silverberg and Dr. Chau Tran and published in the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurements and Controls.

	Kit Adcock likes listening to music from Broadway plays. Her current favorite is Wicked, a story focusing on the witches from The Wizard of Oz. She enjoys sewing, which she calls “engineering for women of my era,” and working closely with the loggerhead turtle conservancy on Bald Head Island. She lives in Cary with her son, Brooks, and daughter, Ali.

Ultimately Adcock wants to design water features, such as pools and fountains, as a way to help educate children. “I believe children have a much better understanding of science than we give them credit for,” she said. Water is a primary example. “Kids understand how it works, and yet not ’til sixth or seventh grade do we start teaching about volume or displacement. They already know this stuff from taking a bath. There must be a way to help kids develop confidence in math and science by exploring the artistic and scientific elements of water.”

Adcock’s interest in engineering appears to be contagious, if not genetic. Her son Brooks is a senior at NC State studying electrical and computer engineering. She has taken a couple of classes with Brooks in the past — they even studied for exams together. But her greatest satisfaction is being able to talk to her son about his interests in an intelligent way — a common goal for mothers. “It’s fun because, if nothing else, with my engineering degree I wanted to be able to understand what he’s doing. It is very rewarding.”

More rewards are no doubt just around the corner. A self-proclaimed super-fan of The Wizard of Oz (she wore ruby slippers to her graduation ceremony), Adcock likens her degree path to that of the bewildered but goal-driven Dorothy.

“Education opportunities are the yellow brick road,” she said. “The ruby slippers are what you take away from the experience. They can perform magic, and they’re always there to take you where you want to go.”

— pishney—

(Photo: John K. Elkins)

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