What three words/phrases describe you the best and why?

Optimistic, tenacious, and short-tempered. I am an optimist by nature, which translates into never giving up after professional setbacks.

What do you aspire to accomplish in your career and why?

At this point I am a full professor, and I don’t have a strong ambition to become an administrator; my main ambition concerns continuing to innovate and seeing through some of my innovations (in educational technology and health care), so as to positively affect society at large. Through AWIS, I aspire to continue to mentor PhD students and women in science. I am also active in the faculty union at UIC, and wish to support its mission of empowering faculty, especially in disciplines different from engineering and science, where contingent faculty is the norm.

How has AWIS helped you professionally and/or personally?

AWIS helped me professionally by awarding me the 2013 AWIS Chicago Innovator award. AWIS helped me by putting me in touch with many other professional women, especially outside of academia.