(Invited) Finding Creativity and Balance in a Technical Career

When I was in graduate school in 1979 studying electorochemical engineering at Berkeley, Joan Berkowitz was the ECS President. It never crossed my mind that this was unusual - it seemed about right that a woman was in charge once in awhile. From that starting inspiration 40 years ago, I have enjoyed a long and interesting career (from electrochemistry to software product development), and also raised three daughters (who are themselves scientists and journalists, and still the sparkling joy of my life). In this talk, I will describe some of my professional experiences, my evolution as an inventor, some early volunteer work for the the ECS, some interesting sidetracks. I’ll reflect on how to define a career so it can be balanced with competing passions.