Persistence Pays OffLisa Johansen and Padma RaghavanComputer Science and Engineering The Pennsylvania State University

Thanks: Carla Ellis, Wei Lie 2005 Grad Cohort

http://www.cse.psu.edu/~johansenhttp://www.cse.psu.edu/~raghavan

OutlinePadma Raghavan: Looking back . Persistence Pays !

My Ph.D. experiences and beyond Why Persist? How ? How Not?

Lisa Johansen: Looking ahead Persistence x Persistence x Persistence= Ph.D. and more!

All: Get ready to share anecdotes, ask and answer questions!

About Padma RaghavanWhy computers?

Academic path:

Faculty positions:

Having a life:

Loved first programming class in college

B.Tech. Indian Institute of Technology (1985)MS. and Ph.D. Penn State CS (1987, 1992)Post-doctoral Univ. of Illinois (1992-1994)Area: High Performance Scientific Computing

University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Lab (1994-2000, Asst., Assoc. Professor)Penn State Computer Science & Engineering (2000, Full Professor 2005)

Married Chandra (1987-1992), Married Steve (1997)Books, travel, theatre, architecture, dining

While on the Roller Coaster.Personal:Working a full time job as an instructorPros: Paid the bills, made immigration possible, learned good time management and teaching skillsCons: Not enough quality time to focus on research, longer Ph.DAdvisor:Asst. Professor, pre-tenure, denied tenure, other ..Off campus visiting appointments every year at other universitiesWhy persist?Because I wanted to do research, loved the research areaObstacles made me more persistent, teaching job was an assetprovided structure and a sense of accomplishmentGood training --- what not to do as an advisor, learning how to work independently, and that persistence pays!

Lessons From the Roller Coaster

Seek help --- do not go it alone, talk to other women faculty, students Dont blame yourself --- be objectiveAsk a friend/mentor so you can assess the situation correctly (choose successful mentors)Improve communication --- it is essentialFocus on incremental goals Dont think ups and downs are happening only to youHappens to most and you can survive and thrive if you persist

Lessons From the Roller Coaster.

Select your advisor carefully --- it should be an active process, not just accepting someone who seeks you outLook for warning signs, seek advise and adapta sudden change in behavior --- time to discuss research until you accept and then no more unprofessional behavior with other students in the group and then with youQuotes: women can do a Ph.D but they should not work, you dont need an RA because you have a husband, God has sent me student Y to punish his ex-advisor Professor Z If after persistent and constructive efforts there are no improvements, seek a new advisor even if it means changing your area, or schoolLearn from those you interact --- both skills to adopt and traits to avoid! Look for research collaborations with people you like ---- it makes work most enjoyable

Lessons Learned Can Help!

I opted for a post-doc Selected my post-advisor carefully! A top-notch researcher and a great mentor!Continued to look for research collaborations with people that passed my fitness test It made work more enjoyable, and more productiveBuilt a broad program of research with collaborations in academia, Labs. and industryOpened up more opportunities and made for a more stable ride natural resiliency, wins in one project balance out setbacks in otherI deeply value my students, post-docs and colleagues and I always work to treat them as I would like to be treated Help others in the pipeline, share your strategies for success in career that can be challenging and fulfilling!

Persistence Is.Keeping your goal in focus and starting with a planWhen faced with a setback, doing constructive problem-solving Reevaluating, collecting advice, strategizingWhen Trial 1 does not work, reevaluate, get advise, adapt, learn and go on to a new and different Trial 2Being resilient --- recover fast and keep moving onExposing yourself to new ideas and seeking help from othersEnjoying what you do --- makes you persist, happily!Having more than one set of goals and activities --- make progress in one even if other is at downturn

Persistence is Not .Having to go it alone do not lock yourself in your office Stubbornly going in a straight line changing direction may be betterDenying frustration and emotional lows --- acknowledge and cope: exercise, hikes, seek out friends and social occasionsBlaming yourself, asking Why Me? How could I do that? --- does not help solve the problemBlaming others ---and not taking responsibilityDwelling in the past, making negative comparisonsWorking extra hard at the expense of personal `downtime --- degrades creativity, induces fatigue

On Persistence .It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer Albert Einstein

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them G.B. Shaw

We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, must be attained .. Marie Curie

Persistence Pays OffLisa Johansen2nd Year Ph.D. StudentThe Pennsylvania State University

My PersistenceDr. Mary Jane Irwin volunteered me to participate in this talk. Why?I have persisted:Candidacy exams (3 times) An unsuitable advisorHaving no research topic in sightMissed paper deadlinesState College, PA for 2 years after an undergrad in San Diego, CA

Persistence isBanging your head against the wallSometimes the wall gives, sometimes it doesnt2 choicesStop the bangingContinueWhy would anyone choose to continue?PassionKnowing that something is worth itStubborn

Banging the wallPersistence is tolerating the bangingEfforts towards your goals, inputsThe outputs may not be what we had hoped forMany of these outputs are not recognizedThis is what makes persistence so hardHowever, there is always some sort of an output"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."Learning how to gain from these outputs is importantYour persistence will pay off

But it is still so hard!How can we make persisting easier?Find a student mentor. You are not alone.Set small personal goals. Recognize your own efforts.Dont dwell on the past. Focus on future goals.

AcknowledgementsCarla Schlatter Ellis, Duke University, and Wei Le, University of VirginiaFor sharing their presentation on Persistence Pays Off at CRA-W-2005 Graduate Cohort

Persistence Pays OffQuestions and DiscussionPersonal Stories

SPEAKER: CARLA

SPEAKER: CARLA

SPEAKER: Padma

SPEAKER: CARLA

SPEAKER: CARLA

Passion - Research, Papers. Knowing - Candidacies.SPEAKER: CARLASPEAKER: CARLA