What's the hardest part about being a young professor at a major university?  “Efficiently managing your time,” says Mark Hersam, an assistant professor in Northwestern University 's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He also directs the Hersam Group – a research collective focused on nanotechnology – in a field that studies miniaturization and the possibility of performing calculations at the molecular level, with applications ranging from computer chips to refined DNA sequencing. As a young professor in a challenging field, Hersam has met the challenges of academic life head-on.  After completing a master's degree in a single year, and a Ph.D. in only three more, Hersam knows what it takes to be a successful teacher and researcher. His advice to students thinking about a career in academia?  “The best thing an aspiring academic can do as a student is learn to be as efficient as possible in all aspects of student life, including classes, extracurricular activities, community service, research projects and leadership positions,” Hersam says. Research, he adds, is the most important of these elements, because that is where students “learn the challenges and excitement of generating new knowledge. A deep understanding of the research enterprise is invaluable once you begin a career in academia.”

More info: http://www.hersam-group.northwestern.edu/

For new, emerging artists, finding that first gallery show can often be half the battle. Enter the Tangerine Arts Group. Founded in March 2002, the TAG is a Chicago-based media collective for the presentation of new art. Managing Director Jessica Hoff describes its conception as “the brain child” of five friends living in Kalamazoo , Michigan , who, once graduated and collectively moved to Chicago , very quickly decided they were not interested in the type of sucking up and social climbing necessary to get their art seen and funded. The TAG was created out of this frustration, and currently funds not only the projects of the core group, but also takes as its goal community outreach to connect collaborating artists of all media. The organization is 100 percent volunteer-based. The collective brings artistic events into the community that are affordable and open to the public and that encourage interaction between the artist and the community.

More info: http://www.tangerinearts.org

In high school, Jessica's Hopper's camera was stolen. So, instead of becoming a professional photographer at the age of 18, she started the music-based Hopper PR, which aims to “represent our clients' vision with integrity, accuracy and take great pains not to muss our hair while doing so.” At 27, Jessica says she is still invested and interested in getting to know her clients and how “art is impacted by capitalism.” Or, in the case of the music business, how they can clash. Music is “a young people's industry” full of the energy and determinism of youth. “It's difficult to be past 30 and not bitter in the music industry,” Jessica states. “It's intrinsic in the business.” Though as a confident, creative leader in the music business and three years shy of a “bitterness” that may never come to her, Jessica stands out as a professional and personal supporter of significant music in Chicago .

More info: www.hopperpr.com

It's interesting, speaking with an artist whose primary focus at the moment is to focus on his own pieces, to make sure he's where he needs to be with his craft, as opposed to working directly for the sole purpose of another gallery show. “Since graduation, I've been in a few group shows,” 27-year-old visual artist Shane Huffman says, referring to his 2002 master's degree in fine arts from the University of Illinois-Chicago. “I've become a bit reclusive, trying to create a large body of work – something that I can feel strongly about.” Most of his pieces are a juxtaposition of different styles, including photography and sculpture, but he's not particular about the medium. “I'll tend to work on more than one piece at a time, to find connections in the work,” he says. But through these connections, his pieces still have a deeply personal bend. “I want to understand my place in the universe and the way that I work with my family, my personal life, my job, my emotions, and presenting them in ways that are personal and idiosyncratic,” he concludes. Sounds like the reclusive period is working.

Halena Kays is a hypocrite. More specifically, she is part of the The Hypocrites ensemble cast, a theatre group that performs regularly at Gallery 37's Storefront Theatre. The group has put on a variety of shows, most notably an adaptation of Edward Gorey's “Dispirited Diverson For Christmas.” She is also the artistic director for Chicago-based Barrel of Monkeys, a five-year-old comedic organization that performs stories and plays written by children in the Chicago Public School system, and conducts writing workshops with the children. BOM cast members will later perform the work in their schools . Kays is the director of BOM's critically acclaimed “That's Weird, Grandma,” which is currently playing at the Neo-Futurarium. In the same vein as “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” the mainstay performance for the Neo-Futurists, “That's Weird, Grandma” is an hour-long show that changes weekly based on audience votes. Kays is also a regular correspondent for “Artbeat Chicago,” a Channel 11 production. Apparently hypocrisy has its merits.

More info: http://wttw.com/artbeat/hosts.html#halena