Alumna Lisa Sobierajski Avila, Vice President, Kitware, Inc.

I believe that the benefits obtained from a graduate education are proportional to the effort invested, both on the part of the student and the academic program. I found the Computer Science graduate program and Stony Brook, and in particular, my advisor Arie Kaufman, to be both demanding and supportive. At the time, I often felt that giving seminar presentations, participating in team projects, advising new students, and providing lab tours were burdensome tasks that were secondary to my formal studies and research pursuits. I can now clearly see that these were opportunities for me to learn and grow in ways that endure long past the point when a specific academic lesson is forgotten. In fact, it is these informal lessons that have given me the courage and confidence to succeed in my current endeavor.

Leaving a position at a large corporate research lab to form a small company at first felt something like stepping off a cliff. It is both exciting and terrifying to realize that the success or failure of the company is based on the actions and decisions of a small group of people. Although technical expertise is important, I have found that good communication skills, teamwork, and the ability to accept responsibility personally, and learn from your mistakes are essential ingredients for success.

My advice to current and prospective students at Stony Brook is to embrace the entire educational experience. Participate in activities that require you to interact not only with other researchers in your field, but also with people who have no background in your area. The ability to defend your research to your thesis committee will earn you a degree, but the talent to explain your research to a group of sixth grade students while exciting them about the possibilities for the future will earn you a successful career.