Name: Eugene H. Spafford
Title: Professor and Director
Company:Purdue University CERIAS
Contact Info: spaf@acm.org
Webpage: http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/
How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences): Completed my PhD and a post-doc at Georgia Tech. Applied to Purdue for a faculty position. Worked my way up the ranks. :-)
How I organize my day:
Carefully! I have two people helping to manage my schedule. I
supervise a staff of 10, plus 2 dozen grad students, plus teach,
plus..... Thus, it is important that I schedule time carefully and
stick to the schedule as possible.
However, I try to ensure that I can fit in time for students who
really need to see me, and for staff & colleagues who need my input.
I also try to find some time for my family, including (especially) my
daughter, age 6.
Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office): On average, 10 hours, 6 days a week.
What I do to get myself thinking creatively: I listen to music, take a walk, work out, play with my daughter or go work in my garden. I find that taking a complete break from my work, and focusing on something far removed from the problem I am trying to solve often helps "unstick" my thought processes.
My problem-solving strategy:
What I do to relieve stress: Read, exercise, garden, write humor
My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why: No single person. My family (parents, uncles, aunts, sister, etc) have all played a large role in encouraging and inspiring me.
What I do to mentor those who work for me: Explain my expectations. Give them freedom to set their own path & goals. Do not complain or criticize unduly when things go awry, but attempt to help them understand what happened. Give them tools and support to excel. Ensure that they know they can come to me for advice or help if they get stuck. Challenge them to do more than they think they can, but relieve them of burdens when they are overloaded. The key to helping others grow is to free them from petty issues and provide the tools to let them craft their own methods for success. A successful mentor reinforces the good, lets the mentee learn from failures, and is pleased in their success. The best teachers should be ready to become the students of their students, once they achieve their own goals.
How a negative event changed my life in a positive way: When I was in college as a freshman, my father became ill and lost his job, and I had to quit school to help support my family. I ended up taking a management job in an auto care facility. I spent the next two years reading and studying during my breaks and after work, and deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I learned discipline and organization well beyond anything that I might have learned otherwise, and I also had a chance to study some things at my own pace. When I returned to school, I completed a double major, a minor, and parts of 3 other majors by testing out of courses and skipping prerequisites. I graduated with my college's top scholastic award, and got a fellowship to grad school. Being forced to drop out of school and work at a job that didn't challenge me might have been a setback, but I used it as a stepping-stone and motivation to something better.
One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change: I wish I had been a little more physically active (athletic) when I was younger. As one gets older, it is difficult to find the time and energy to get into shape (and stay there!)
What values are the most important to me and what I value in others: Honesty. Good humor, especially about self. Consistency. Drive. Empathy Intelligence.
What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: The fantastic people I work with. The huge challenge of finding workable solutions in information security. The great thrill of teaching wonderful students and helping them succeed. It sounds sappy, but it makes me happy to get out of bed and go to work each day.
Biography: ll available at http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/homes/spaf/narrate.html
Last Modified:
Location: www.acm.org/crossroads/dayinlife/bios/eugene_spafford.html