I’ve been a various forms of professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Oklahoma for more than thirty years. I am also appointed in Women’s and Gender Studies. I have a B. A. in Physics and Mathematics from Albion College, M.S. in Applied Mathematics and M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science, all from Michigan State University. I came into computing through the back door. I was a mathematics instructor at William Penn College (now University) when I was forced to start teaching beginning programming classes. When I pointed out that I had little knowledge in this area to share with students my boss found a scholarship for me to attend the University of Northern Iowa for a summer and learn some computer science. I repaid his generosity by leaving the college a year later to pursue a doctorate in computer science.
My original research area in computer science was in artificial intelligence, specifically computer vision, although I’ve long since moved on to studying how universities advantage some students over others in the ways that we design and provide computing and engineering education. I’m also trying to figure out how to make engineering and computing more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. While most of my professional life has been lived in academia, I founded a company that made electronic textbooks, called Beyond Paper, Inc. and used it commercialize some of my research from the University of Oklahoma. While the company was ultimately unsuccessful, the experience made me a better software engineering and allowed me more fully to appreciate the joys of being a faculty member.
I’ve won many awards for teaching, research, and service, mostly at the University of Oklahoma. The awards from the last decade or so are the: Gallogly College of Engineering Pursuit of Excellence Faculty Award, Ronald J. Schmitz Award for Outstanding Service to the Frontiers in Education Conference, President’s Associates Presidential Professorship, William Elgin Wickenden Award from the American Society for Engineering Education, and the Board of Regents Superior Teaching Award.
I love to teach the beginning programming classes, have taught nothing else for many years, and intend to teach nothing else in the future. Seeing a student who has never programmed before learn to be proficient and grow into a software engineer is one of the great joys of my life. Outside of OU are the other great joys of my life: my Mother and sister. I spend a couple of hours a day walking my dogs, running, bicycling, or doing yoga, Zumba, and/or Pilates. I also like to make quilts, knit, crochet and cook.