Balancing Research and Family

January 22, 2019

While working towards their Ph.D. degree, students sometimes feel challenges in balancing demands due to coursework, Teaching Assistant (TA) or Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) responsibilities, research, funding, preparation for the next steps in their career, etc. Similar challenges are faced by post-doctoral fellows as well. The challenges and the potential stress can be compounded if the student/post-doc also needs to manage family responsibilities, including the care of a small child (or children).

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Presenters

Bonnie Ferri

Bonnie Ferri
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development

Bonnie Ferri is the vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development at Georgia Tech. Ferri is also a professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). She previously was associate chair for undergraduate affairs in ECE and also served as the associate chair for graduate affairs in ECE.

Ferri does research in embedded control systems and in engineering education, and has received honors including the 2017 IEEE Undergraduate Teaching Award and the 2016 Regent’s Award for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. In addition, Ferri is the co-chair of a campuswide commission at Tech on the future of higher education, and she was an invited speaker at a National Academy of Engineering workshop on education.

Ferri has been active with the IEEE Control Systems Society and served two terms on its Board of Governors. She received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a master's degree in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering from Princeton University. Ferri then worked for Honeywell for two years prior to returning to school to earn her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Tech.

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Kim D. Harrington

Kim D. Harrington
Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Kim D. Harrington, Ph.D. is the associate vice president and chief human resources officer at Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to this role, she served as director of the Student Center at Georgia Tech. Kim has 27 years of experience in higher education and has worked at Georgia State University, the University at Buffalo, and the State University of New York at Fredonia. A mother of three, she is originally from Buffalo, New York and currently resides in Douglasville, Georgia.

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John Stein

John Stein
Vice President for Student Life and Brandt-Fritz Dean of Students Chair

John M. Stein currently serves within the role as vice president of the Division of Student Life. John arrived at Georgia Tech in 2002 to serve as director of Success Programs and in 2006 became dean of students and assistant vice president of Student Affairs. He was promoted to associate vice president in 2013, and took on the additional responsibility of interim vice president in February of 2015. Prior to coming to Tech, Stein served as dean of students at Sarah Lawrence College and Manhattanville College, and worked in Student Affairs at Skidmore College, all in the state of New York. Stein holds degrees from State University of New York at Oneonta, Long Island University, and State University of New York at Albany. 

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