This cache is part of an occasional series about Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The cache is not located at the posted coordinates. You will find it at North AB degrees CD.EFG minutes, West HIJ degrees KL.MNO minutes.
Here’s a puzzle for anyone who might, like me, be in a certain amount of withdrawal now that the 2020 Olympics have concluded. Over the 17 days of the Olympics, July 23 to August 8, I watched quite a bit of the coverage, including some favorite sports as well as some new sports. In addition to admiring the athletic skill and dedication, I started thinking about how many current and former Olympic athletes also have careers in health care.
Caroline Park was born in Canada to parents who had emigrated from South Korea and was working at a hospital in New York when the Korean Ice Hockey Association recruited her to try out for the Korean national hockey team. Long story short, she joined the team while in medical school, and played on the Korean Unified Hockey team in the 2018 winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea. She has since graduated from medical school. Let A = the number of her teammates on the Korean hockey team who are from North America (do not count her as one of her own teammates).
Seun Adigun was born and raised in the United States. She attended University of Houston where she ran track and field and earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a master’s degree in physical education. She ran track professionally and was an Olympic athlete representing Nigeria in the 100m hurdles and 4x100m relay. She later competed in the first Nigerian bobsled team at the winter Olympics. She now holds a Doctorate of Chiropractic Medicine. Let B = the checksum of the first year she competed in the summer Olympics.
Lee Kiefer is a US fencer who was the first US fencer, male or female, to win the gold medal in Olympic individual foil. She comes from a very accomplished family: both parents and her older sister are all physicians, and her father and both siblings all fenced in college. She currently attends medical school at University of Kentucky. Let C = the year of medical school she was in when she first earned a medal in the Olympics.
Sarah Whalen was a US soccer player who appeared in the Olympics. She earned a psychology degree from University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in psychology from Fordham University, and a doctorate from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She currently works as a licensed psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist. Let D = the last digit of the year she won a silver medal in the Olympics.
Rachel Van Hollebeke (formerly Buehler) is currently completing a family practice medicine residency. The Stanford (bachelor’s degree) and UC San Diego (medical degree) graduate played on the US national soccer team for several years, appearing in both the world cup and Olympics. Her name might be familiar to Portland Thorns fans as she played for the team during the first three seasons, 2013-2015. Let E = the number of Olympic teams she was a member of that did not win the gold medal.
Lise Leveille is a French Canadian gymnast who participated in the 2000 Olympics. She competed collegiately for Stanford then returned to the Vancouver area to attend University of British Columbia’s medical school. She now practices as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and specializes in knee and athletic injuries. Let F = the last digit of the year she completed her residency at UBC.
Ana Rente is a Portuguese trampoline gymnast who is also a physician. She competed in three Olympics. Let G= the last digit of the year she first competed in the Olympics.
US Figure skater Tenley Albright, who earned the silver medal in figure skating in the 1952 Olympics and was the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in 1956. She began skating as a child, then had polio and resumed skating as part of her rehabilitation from polio. She attended Radcliffe College as a pre-med student and Harvard Medical School before becoming a surgeon. She practiced medicine for 23 years, including serving as the chief physician for the 1976 US Winter Olympic team. Let H = the last digit of the year she graduated from medical school.
Laura Muir was born in Scotland and represented Great Britain in the 1500-meter run, winning silver that the 2020 Olympic games. She is a veterinary surgeon having qualified as a vet from Glasgow University in 2018. Let I = the number of Olympic Games in which she times she competed in the 1500 m final.
Abby Johnston was a US Olympic diver who earned a silver medal in synchronized springboard in 2012 and also competed in individual springboard in 2016. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Duke, attended Duke medical school, and completed an emergency medicine residency. Let J = the checksum of the last two digits of the year in which she began practicing as an attending emergency physician.
Amy Chow was a US gymnast who was part of the 1996 team nicknamed the “Magnificent Seven” which won the country’s first team gold medal and was also part of the 2000 team. In addition to gymnastics, she competed in diving and pole vaulting, though neither at the Olympic level, and is an accomplished pianist. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology, attended medical school, completed a pediatrics residency, and currently practices pediatrics. Let K = the number of different universities she attended for her BS, MD and residency.
Jenny Thompson was a US Olympic swimmer who earned 12 medals, including 8 gold medals. She graduated from Stanford, attended Columbia University’s medical school, completed an internship in New York, a residency in anesthesiology in Boston, and is currently an anesthesiologist in Portland, Maine. Let L = the number of times that she was a member of the US Olympics swim team
At least five recent Olympians are nurses. Field hockey goalkeeper Rachael Lynch is a neuro-rehabilitation nurse who also participated in the 2016 Olympics. Joan Poh works on a hospital renal unit rowed in the single sculls in 2020. Georgie Rowe works in aged care nursing and is a rower who was part of the 5th place women’s eight in 2020. Heather MacLean who assists in high-risk deliveries and fetal procedures is a swimmer who earned the bronze medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay team in 2016. Another swimmer, Michelle Toro, a neonatal intensive care nurse, was part of the 4x100 freestyle relay team in 2012 that finished eleventh. Let M = the number of continents represented by these five nurses.
Erica Ogwumike is a basketball player who earned her bachelor’s degree with three(!) majors from Rice, and now attends medical school at University of Texas Southwestern. She is representing Nigeria, the country where both of her parents were born, in the 2021 Olympics. If her last name sounds familiar, it might be because her older sisters Nneka and Chiney are both WNBA players. Let N = the last digit of the year she is expected to graduate from medical school.
Genevra “Gevvie” Stone is an Amcerican rower who participated in the 2012 and 2016 games rowing in the single sculls, earning the silver medal in 2016. She also participated in double sculls in 2020. Both of her parents earned Olympic berths, her mother as the coxswain for quadruple sculls in 1976 and her father in 1980 as a single sculler. She went to college at Princeton and graduated from Tufts Medical School. She is currently an emergency medicine resident. Let O = the last digit of the year she graduated from medical school.
Of note, three names that may be familiar are not included in the puzzle. Nadia Nadim, an Afghanistan-born soccer player on Denmark’s national team is also a medical student but Denmark has not recently qualified for the Olympics (she also played for the Thorns in 2016 and 2017). Dot Richardson a US softball player who played shortstop on the gold medal-winning 1996 and 2000 teams graduated from medical school, completed an orthopedics residency and sports medicine fellowship but is not currently practicing medicine. Debi Thomas, a US figure skater who earned the bronze medal in 1988 completed surgical and orthopedics residencies and subspecialty training in adult reconstructive surgery is also not currently practicing medicine.
The location of the posted coordinates is open for day use only, Sunrise to Sunset. There is no entrance fee, but as of when the cache was created, there is a parking fee of $7 per day (from Memorial Day through Labor Day the fee is $5 for veterans and people age 55+ when the Fee Booth is open). An annual parking pass is $60 (or $40 for veterans and people age 55+).