Alumnus Turns His Passion For Physics and English Into A Traveling Children’s Show As Dr. Sparks

Karl J. P. Smith, Ph.D. '11 has parlayed his passion for science and storytelling into a lifelong career by embracing his unusual combination.

"A lot of people allow themselves to be placed in a box," says Smith. "Having been trained at Allegheny College to keep in mind and understand that I can pick up anything that I need to learn along the way has given me the confidence to step out and to try all these things."

After graduating with his bachelor's degree in physicsand English, Smith earned his doctorate in biophysics at the University of Rochester.

He soon started developing a software application, which led him to work as a software developer on Amazon's Alexa voice system. Smith has also worked as a Google contractor and software developer at Vivian Health.

In 2018, he sought a change and moved from Santa Barbara to Pittsburgh, where he began his traveling stage show for children across the East Coast as Dr. Sparks.

Dr. Sparks performs STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) school assembly shows combining his internet-of-things inventions with traditional storytelling, where Mister Rogers meets Bill Nye. The 50-minute show is geared towards either students in grades K-5 or middle-school-aged students. The program has been featured in USAToday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Scientific American.

Smith simultaneously began his first startup: a global positioning system-equipped compass that points to a spot of the user's choice. Smith explains the idea for the device came from a treasure hunt for his niece and nephew.

The Kickstarternow has over 580+ backers, integrating his interests in software and storytelling while widening his knowledge in sourcing, manufacturing, and shipping.

"I felt very prepared by Allegheny for all the challenges thrown my way. I had great mentors, professors (Doros) Petasis and (Benjamin) Slote," says Smith.