Name: Lisa Neal
Title: Senior Research Engineer
Company: Electronic Data Systems
Contact Info: lisa@acm.org
How I arrived at my present job (academic and other influences): I was a math major at U Mass Boston. The department faculty all knew me since I had either taken classes with them or been a tutor for one of their classes as part of the work/study program. I knew I didn't want to be an actuary but I didn't know what I wanted to do. The professors all encouraged me to go to graduate school, and suggested computer science over math since it was a newer and growing field. They also said the funding was better. I was lucky to have so much attention and support, and it made more of a difference than anything else in getting me where I am today.
How I organize my day: I am a telecommuter; communication is therefore very important, so reading my email is the first thing I do every day. The rest of my day is spent in phone meetings, working on proposals, consulting, teaching, or preparing or updating classes.
Amount of time spent working daily (at home and office): 8-10 hours.
What I do to get myself thinking creatively: I take a break and play with my children, who are 7, 4, and 6 months old. The oldest is in school most of the day, and the others are with their babysitter, but they are all creative and inspiring in very different ways, based on their ages and personalities.
What I do to relieve stress: Exercise.
My hero, mentor, or person I most admire and why: My graduate school advisor, who has been successful in the business world as well as being a fantastic advisor and an inspirational teacher.
What I do to mentor those who work for me: I try to encourage them and provide lots of feedback.
One event or decision in my life I wish I could go back and change: That's hard to answer since one learns from all experiences.
What values are the most important to me and what I value in others: Because my life sometimes feels so hectic with three children, I especially appreciate organization in myself and others.
What inspires, motivates, or gets me excited about my job on a daily basis: I get to work on many things simultaneously, which is both fun and challenging, and means I can work on what I'm in the mood for. I especially like teaching classes and tutorials and speaking at conferences. I enjoy preparing them because it forces me to organize what I know about a topic.
Biography: Lisa Neal is a Senior Research Engineer at Electronic Data Systems where she consults on distance learning and collaborative technologies. She developed a distance learning program at EDS, where she also develops and teaches courses on Human-Computer Interaction and Collaborative Technologies. Lisa organized a panel on "Distance Education: Is it the End of Education as Most of Us Know It?" at CHI 98, presented a paper on "Issues in the Development and Delivery of Distance Learning Classes" at ED-MEDIA 98, and published a paper on "Digital Education: A Thrill, Not a Mill" in ACM netWorker, June 1998. Her paper, Virtual Classrooms and Communities, presented at GROUP 97, is available at http://www.lucent.com/cedl/group97.html. She taught tutorials on Distance Learning at CHI 98 and ED-MEDIA 98, and taught tutorials on Collaborative Technologies at the IFIP World Computer Congress '98 and ED-MEDIA 98. Lisa is authoring a book on the selection and use of distance learning technologies, is co-editor of Structure-Based Editors and Environments, Academic Press, 1996, and has a chapter on "Working in the Virtual Office" in Remote Cooperation: CSCW Issues for Mobile and Teleworkers, Springer-Verlag, 1996. She is CHI 99 demos co-chair. Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Harvard University.
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Location: www.acm.org/crossroads/dayinlife/bios/lisa_neal.html