About Me
The Basics
My full name is Julie Anne Kientz, and I was born in Marion, Ohio, U.S.A on May 9, 1980. I am currently living in Atlanta, Georgia, although for most of my life I've lived in Ohio. As an undergrad, I lived in six different states, but I will be staying put in Altanta for the next several years. I tend to be a geek in most aspects and fully embrace geek culture. I love trying new things as well as learning about all the topics that interest me. Unfortunately, this passion ends up making me very bad at many different things!
Education
I am currently a fourth year Computer Science Ph.D. student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, working with Dr. Gregory Abowd in the Ubiquitous Computing Research Group. My research interests include Human-Computer Interaction, Ubicomp, Assistive Technology, and Collaborative Computing. After obtaining my Ph.D., I plan to continue with research and hopefully teach someday. I graduated in December 2002 with my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Toledo.
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Family
I get along very well with my family. My dad, Tom, is a manager at a snack food company in Marion, and my mom, Carol, is a retired English teacher who is now doing community education for a domestic violence shelter. My only sibling is my brother, Jeremy, who is three years older than me. Jeremy is an investor, is married to a great girl named Shawna, an elementary school guidance counselor. They live in Montana and have had recently me an aunt with adorable little Jake. I'm also very close to my extended family, who mostly still reside in Ohio, but are also located in California and Florida.
Pets
I have always loved animals and having pets around, and I have an adorable gray, tan, and white calico cat, who I named Zelda. About three years after I adopted Zelda, I decided she needed a companion, so I got a gray and white cat which I named Link. They both cause lots of trouble and leave hair everywhere in my small studio apartment, but somehow, their cuteness always makes up for their mischief.
Gainful Employment
My penchant for trying new things and seeing new places has led me to hold reseach positions, internships, and co-ops all over the country, and now all over the world. My most recent was as a summer research participant last year at AIST in Tsukuba, Japan, working on designing studies of the therapy robot, Paro. Previously, I completed a summer research internship at UC Berkeley in California, worked as an intern at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, completed an internship at Intel in Phoenix, Arizona, completed two co-op positions at Compaq in Massachusetts, and one co-op at SDRC, a software company in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ideologies
My political views are liberal, although I don't favor extremist views on much of anything. I tend to favor legislation in support of environmental causes and am adamant about the civil liberties of human beings, including the freedom of speech and expression. I am also in favor of the open source movement and the Electronic Freedom Foundation. I am against war without cause and increases in military budgets at the cost of funding things such as education or healthcare. I would be in favor of the U.S. adopting socialized medicine and the metric system. I'm also in favor of supporting small businesses and independent media. I tend to be a bit of a skeptic as well, but still try to approach things with a selective open mind. Also, I have finally decided that I am a realistic optimist. There is a lot of negativity in the world these days and trying hope for the best helps keep me sane.
Other Random Tidbits
I'm really into fantasy and science fiction. I love to read. I am learning to play the piano. I love playing video games. I can solve a Rubik's cube in under 2 minutes. I have my SCUBA diving certification. I love to travel and have visited 44 of the 50 states and 8 countries. I have developed a fondness for skiing, ice skating, and horseback riding. My favorite animal is a polar bear. My favorite colors are green, blue, and purple. I love nature and being outside, and I love water and being on boats. I love making lists and multitasking. I love a lot of kinds of music, but especially rock and alternative. My favorite seasons are Fall and Winter.
Last modified 4 June 2007 at 1:32 pm by Julie Kientz |
