in honor of Ada Lovelace

[trochee]

in honor of Ada Lovelace Day 2009 I post to honor a woman in technology.

When I began grad school, I got an RAship from [Advisor] -- also a woman in technology, but that's not the point I'm getting at here. [Advisor] offered me a desk and an initial project, and -- what I didn't even realize was on purpose until many weeks later -- a neighbor, beckyb.

beckyb was finishing her dissertation research (actually, I think she was about where I am now in the process!) and [Advisor] had the thought that we might have things to teach each other. [Advisor] was right, in at least one direction: I learned a tremendous amount from beckyb, including the following insights:

• Engineering can be about people
• Playfulness is not opposed to seriousness
• a spiritual life is compatible with an intellectual life; in fact, they support each other
• compassion is a skill best learned by modeling

beckyb navigates a very male-dominated academic field (CS and EE) gracefully and with compassion for some of the less-well-trained types (mostly men) who don't handle interpersonal interaction as well as she does, and she is able to share her keen intellectual insight with a subtlety that deftly avoids the far-too-easy pattern of "my-idea-is-better-than-yours" that too many geek circles fall into. Her presence as my mentor -- even when I haven't seen her for months! -- reminds me that research is first and foremost a genuine exercise in curiosity. "What does this do?" "why did it do that?" rather than "who gets credit for this?" or "how can I fix it?".

beckyb is now a professor in the northern Midwest. I am jealous of her students, because they get to see her several days a week, and I don't. She will go on a sabbatical to Brazil next year, where she is visiting her cousin the Buddhist lama and exploring teaching science and engineering to Brazilian women. (I am not making this up; she really is that kind of post-modern Neal Stephenson character.)

(waves at beckyb: happy Ada Lovelace day!)

Comments

[caracola.livejournal.com]

This is such a sweet post! Happy Ada Lovelace day, Becky and women in tech everywhere!

[trochee.livejournal.com]

thanks caracola! and thanks to general_jinjur for pointing me to the OTW and Ada Lovelace Day in general!

[beckyb.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you, dear friend. What a lovely thing to read!

I do miss you and am so glad that we got to sit next to each other those months. I definitely picked up an appreciation for perl sitting near you!

Happy Ada Lovelace day to you too.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

I wish you were closer, B. :( but I really hope I can get to visit you in Brazil!

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

Awwwww.
I love you and beckyb so much and this made me all teary !
Lovely.

[ctseawa.livejournal.com]

Very well said.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

thank you ! And you know of whom I speak, so you don't even need to read this!

Ada Lovelace day

[unclejer.livejournal.com]

To those of you all who have expressed your feelings toward beckyb I commend you for your keen observation skills and discernment. I have had the privilege of knowing her longer that you and feel gratified that so many agree with my opinion of her.

Re: Ada Lovelace day

[trochee.livejournal.com]

aww :) thanks for the vote of confidence! I'm not surprised that others find her great too.

[rosiedee.livejournal.com]

Aww, this entry was lovely, thoughtful, and downright inspiring.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

thanks! I am blessed to have such a friend; when I noticed it was Ada Day I figured what better opportunity to sing her praises?

[musiclovermc.livejournal.com]

she sounds like my friend kasey, also an amazing civil engineer who does not always get the credit she deserves.

i love those learning points too!

[trochee.livejournal.com]

I imagine your friend Kasey is pretty great then.

And yep, Becky also does not always get the credit she deserves. :(