Persistence Pays Off Lisa Johansen and Padma Raghavan Computer Science and Engineering The Pennsylvania State University Thanks: Carla Ellis, Wei Lie 2005 Grad Cohort

Outline Padma 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 Raghavan Why 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 ( ) Area: High Performance Scientific Computing University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Lab ( , Asst., Assoc. Professor) Penn State Computer Science & Engineering (2000, Full Professor 2005) Married Chandra ( ), Married Steve (1997) Books, travel, theatre, architecture, dining

Passing exams, Picking a Topic, Moving from coursework to research First journal paperCompleting thesis Advisor stressJob interview invitations

While on the Roller Coaster…. Personal: Working a full time job as an instructor Pros: Paid the bills, made immigration possible, learned good time management and teaching skills Cons: Not enough quality time to focus on research, longer Ph.D Advisor: Asst. Professor, pre-tenure, denied tenure, other.. Off campus visiting appointments every year at other universities Why persist? Because I wanted to do research, loved the research area Obstacles made me more persistent, teaching job was an asset…provided structure and a sense of accomplishment Good 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 … Don’t blame yourself --- be objective Ask a friend/mentor so you can assess the situation correctly (choose successful mentors ) Improve communication --- it is essential Focus on incremental goals Don’t think ups and downs are happening only to you Happens 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 out Look for warning signs, seek advise and adapt a 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 you Quotes: women can do a Ph.D but they should not work, you don’t 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 school Learn 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 productive Built a broad program of research with collaborations in academia, Labs. and industry Opened up more opportunities and made for a more stable ride –natural resiliency, wins in one project balance out setbacks in other I 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!

Keeping your goal in focus and starting with a plan When faced with a setback, doing constructive problem-solving Reevaluating, collecting advice, strategizing When Trial 1 does not work, reevaluate, get advise, adapt, learn and go on to a new and different Trial 2 Being resilient --- recover fast and keep moving on Exposing yourself to new ideas and seeking help from others Enjoying 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….

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 better Denying frustration and emotional lows --- acknowledge and cope: exercise, hikes, seek out friends and social occasions Blaming yourself, asking Why Me? How could I do that? --- does not help solve the problem Blaming others ---and not taking responsibility Dwelling in the past, making negative comparisons Working 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 Off Lisa Johansen 2nd Year Ph.D. Student The Pennsylvania State University

My Persistence Dr. Mary Jane Irwin volunteered me to participate in this talk. Why? I have persisted: Candidacy exams (3 times) An unsuitable advisor Having no research topic in sight Missed paper deadlines State College, PA for 2 years after an undergrad in San Diego, CA

Persistence is… Banging your head against the wall Sometimes the wall gives, sometimes it doesn’t 2 choices Stop the banging Continue Why would anyone choose to continue? Passion Knowing that something is worth it Stubborn

Banging the wall Persistence is tolerating the banging Efforts towards your goals, inputs The outputs may not be what we had hoped for Many of these outputs are not recognized This is what makes persistence so hard However, 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 important Your 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. Don’t dwell on the past. Focus on future goals.

Acknowledgements Carla Schlatter Ellis, Duke University, and Wei Le, University of Virginia For sharing their presentation on Persistence Pays Off at CRA-W-2005 Graduate Cohort

Persistence Pays Off Questions and Discussion Personal Stories