Though you've quite recently joined Bioengineering, you have a long history with the University.  How does it feel to be working with grad students now, given that you were once a U of I student yourself?

I came to the University of Illinois in 1988 to be a graduate student in Plant Biology which, at that point, was in the School of Life Sciences.  I came here to work with a faculty member who researched plant chemical ecology, a field I was really, really interested in.  I stayed here altogether too long, and then left to teach first at DePaul University, and then at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.  My husband and I were living “out in the sticks” on a small farmette in Maryland.  Commutes were long, winters were hard, there was a lot of driveway to plow and a lot of pasture to mow, and after about 10 years we realized we didn’t want to do that anymore.  We decided to move back to Champaign-Urbana in 2013 because it is such a wonderful community and is home to a lot of old friends.  I got a position managing the PhD program in Informatics until I joined this department in May.

What was compelling about this particular position in Bioengineering? 

This job was really appealing to me because I have a good skill set for managing a large program. I have a lot of experience managing educational programs at other institutions, and in my prior role here at the university, managing both an undergraduate minor and PhD program.  I was a graduate student here a long time ago, and I remember very distinctly some of the frustrating experiences I had when there were no professional graduate advisors or program coordinators or people who helped students navigate through the university process. I really like working with PhD students and enjoy facilitating their academic experiences so they can focus on their research.  

I’m also a biologist by training, and there was real appeal for me to work in a department that aligns with my early academic interests, and where my “intellectual heart" is.  I enjoy hearing about the cutting edge and impactful research being done in the department every day.

What are you most enjoying upon coming to the Department of Bioengineering?

This department has a lot of “movin’ and shakin’” going on!  Even though it’s a relatively “young” department, it’s very well established and respected. The affiliation with Carle Illinois College of Medicine makes it that much more exciting. So much biomedical research being done in areas that will truly make a difference for generations to come! The staff and faculty have also been incredibly friendly and supportive during my first 2 months. The overall environment of collegiality and functional efficiency are impressive, and in my opinion a pretty rare thing to find in academia- it’s my dream job!

What’s your favorite (most useful) advice for students?

I’m still at the “name recognition stage”, making students (and faculty) aware that I exist, and how I can assist them.  Predominantly, the advice I’ve been giving is Come Talk to Me.  There are all sorts of things that are going on at the University, including new rules and policies, and I can help them figure all of it out, not only what students might need but what would be best for them, given their situation.  If I can’t solve the issue, I can track down the right answer for them. 

Here’s our traditional “outside of work” question. What do you most enjoy doing when you’re not at work? What would you like your students to know about yourself that they wouldn’t find on your LinkedIn profile? 

Anyone that walks into my office will immediately figure out that I am a dog lover.  I’ve been married thirty-one years; we have no human children, but we’ve had four-legged ones for our entire existence. For decades, we’ve had at least one border collie and one “retriever type”. We currently have a 3 year old ball-obsessed border collie named Batman, and a 1 year old golden retriever named Elwood.  I’m a huge crafter – I knit, spin, sew, paint, collage and generally like to make things out of other things. And I love to bake!