GirlGeek of the Week
May 2001

Angela Lai

Curiosity brought Angela Lai from her bioengineering major to an introductory programming class in college. Within the first two weeks of that class, she changed her major and the rest is history.

At UPenn, Angela worked with some of the most talented people in graphics and robotics and developed an interest in image processing and multimedia. Already well on her way to becoming a software engineer, Angela was recruited by SGI right out of school. There she worked on many generations of SGI desktop products, and had responsibilities for cross-platform digital media software capabilities. The difficulty in using the technology and the inaccessibility of these products, which are expensive and continually changing, was part of what inspired the creation of generic media.

When did you first discover your love and/or obsession with computers and technology?

My first programming class in college.

How do you earn a living?

I run engineering at Generic Media.

Do you consider yourself a Geek?

Sure do.

What do you do when you are not working?

Sleep, cook, eat, play piano (not always in that order)

Who is the person you most admire?

There are many many people that I admire, and to pick out one that I admire the most is not going to be representative, so I'll just pick one person, though not necessarily "the most". Ever since I was relatively young, I have always admired Helen Keller, for her courage and determination to fight against all odds.

If you could have one super power what would it be?

Make people get along.