Name: Ellen Spertus
Title: Assistant professor of computer science
Company: Mills College
Contact Info: spertus@mills.edu
How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences): I am very pleased to be teaching at a (1) liberal arts college (2) for women (3) in the Bay Area. (1) I like being at a liberal arts college because I feel that teaching is the highest priority. I feel that if I were at a research university, I might not be able to fulfil my research obligations and still do a good job of teaching, at least without getting too stressed out. (2) I have long had an interest in encouraging women and girls in computer science. As a women's college, Mills is a great match. Most of the faculty members are also female, so I feel this is a more female-friendly place to work than in some primarily-male departments where I might be the only person to ever, for example, take maternity leave. (3) Because my husband, Keith Golden, is also a computer scientist, finding somewhere that both of us could work was a priority. When I got the offer from Mills, I jumped at it, since one of Keith's top choices was NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View (in Silicon Valley). We live in San Francisco, and I commute each weekday to Oakland (in the East Bay Area). For more about my job search, see http://www.mills.edu/ACAD_INFO/MCS/SPERTUS/job-search/job.html.
How I organize my day: One of my priorities is getting enough sleep. I never use an alarm clock. Consequently, I never schedule classes before 10:50 AM. I come into campus every day, for teaching, lab hours, meetings, research, etc., and usually go home around 6:30 PM (coordinating with my husband to pick him up at the train). We've put together a nice computer set-up at home, so I work there evenings and weekends. Lately, I've been preparing all of my slides and handouts for the week on the weekend. Mondays through Thursdays are occupied with teaching, related activities, and meetings, and Friday is devoted to research.
Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office): I am usually at work for 6-9 hours each weekday. I'd guess that I work an average of an hour per night evenings. I probably work about 4 hours per day at home on weekends.
What I do to get myself thinking creatively: I look at existing systems and see what I don't like about them and figure out how to improve them.
My problem-solving strategy: Experiment with existing systems and variations to determine better ones, brainstorm with friends and colleagues.
What I do to relieve stress: I find being at home relaxing, particularly being with my husband. Although I don't watch much TV, I find that watching a funny intelligent show like The Simpsons or Futurama is a fun way to relax.
My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why: My mentor is Prof. Lynn Andrea Stein, my thesis advisor at MIT. Without her, I don't know if I would have graduated. She manages to be an excellent professor and a nice person and to have a family life.
What I do to mentor those who work for me: I ask students what they want to achieve and brainstorm with them about how to get there. I encourage my students to think highly of themselves and to negotiate well. They all know that my motto is: "If you never hear 'no', you're not asking for enough."
How a negative event changed my life in a positive way: After working for a year and a half on my dissertation, I discovered that someone else had already done what I was doing. I was devastated. After recovering, I switched research areas (from compilers to the Internet). As a result, I am now working in an area I find much more exciting and I met the man who became my husband.
One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change: Although I've made a lot of mistakes and have had many unhappy times, I don't think I'd change anything, because I like where I ended up.
What values are the most important to me and what I value in others: Honesty and respect for others.
What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: Talking with people about my research gets me excited about it. My course schedule motivates my teaching preparation.
Biography: Ellen Spertus received her bachelor's (1990), master's (1992), and PhD (1998) degrees from MIT in computer science, where she received a number of awards, including the Undergraduate Computer Systems Prize (1990) and Department Meritorious Service Award (1992). She has also worked at the University of Washington and Microsoft Research. In addition to her technical work in compilers, computer architecture, and information retrieval, she has pursued an interest in increasing girls' and women's participation in computer science and is currently on the ACM Committee on Women in Computing. She has served on the board of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (www.cpsr.org) and Stop Prisoner Rape (www.spr.org). She recently was awarded a four-year Career Development grant from the National Science Foundation to support her research and teaching.
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Location: www.acm.org/crossroads/dayinlife/bios/ellen_spertus.html