The Basics
How many years have you been with your current company? 16 years
First job? While in high school, I worked for a phone company in Poland. I retrieved phone numbers for people who called phone information (“human 411”). I was then promoted and got to connect international phone calls. Aren’t you glad that we have the Internet and cellphones now?!
Where were you born? Kielce, Poland
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Kielce, Poland. I moved to the Florida when I was 22 years old. I stayed there for 4.5 years and then moved to Seattle, WA where I’ve been living (and growing up 😉) ever since.
Academic Perspective
Why is ECEDHA important to you?
ECEDHA lets me connect with other department heads and chairs. I appreciate the opportunity to network and learn how things are done at other institutions. I can’t wait to see everybody again in person next year!
What are you most proud of with distance learning?
I am proud of my faculty who put a lot of energy and effort into teaching their classes. The amount of time they spend preparing for classes is just unbelievable and it shows in the quality of the virtual pedagogical experience that our students are part of. I am also proud of our staff members for getting all of the laboratory kits to students so they can do their labs at home. Finally, I am proud of our students for their resilience, perseverance, and professionalism during these challenging times.
What have you found to have been most rewarding in your experience with ECEDHA and the Board position?
As a program chair of the iREDEFINE program, funded by the NSF and supported by ECEDHA, I get to make a difference in an area that I am passionate about: diversity, equity, and inclusion in ECE. The iREDEFINE program is designed to motivate and prepare women and underrepresented minority PhD students for academic positions in electrical and computer engineering.
If you had to choose another profession, what would you choose?
I’ve always enjoyed photography so being a photojournalist would be probably be quite interesting and fulfilling for me. I also love to travel so any job that lets me travel would be a dream come true.
Was there a defining moment in your life that made you choose ECE as a profession?
I was always very good in math in high school. When I was deciding about my college major, I considered math but also wanted something that was more practical. I picked ECE because I could immediately see how I could make a difference in people’s life with this degree.
What has been your personal biggest challenge, or most significant achievement since the pandemic?
The biggest challenge is figuring out how to balance supporting my school-age daughter who is attending her virtual middle school and dance program and doing my academic job from home (which seems to have ballooned in terms of the time commitment and required mental energy due to the pandemic).
My favorite class to teach is...
Introduction to Digital Image Processing.
Greatest piece of advice I can offer a student is...
Look beyond your classes and try to be active in professional societies and student clubs. Participate in events that your department, college, and university organize for you. Professional development, leadership skills, and extracurricular activities is what will make you stand apart from other students when it is time to look for a job.
Beyond the Desk
What would you tell your 18-year-old self?
Get rid of that crazy hair style!
Who/what inspires you?
I have a great network of very accomplished women in academia. Their successes are inspiring. It is great to know that the glass ceiling can be broken.
Philosophy of life in a nutshell?
Life is short so try to enjoy it in the broadest sense possible. Do not forget about yourself but find ways to make a positive difference in other people’s life.
If there is one thing I learned in life, it’s...
“it takes a village” to do anything – your life will be better, and you will do more and be more successful and happier with a good network of friends, colleagues, and collaborators.
A problem I have yet to solve:
Equity and inclusion for marginalized groups in ECE 😊
I always wanted to travel to...
Every single country in the world.
In my opinion, the greatest invention of all time is...
the computer