Liza Booker hopes to inspire the next generation of youth, particularly young girls, to become scientists and engineers by working for Argonne as a User Experience Analyst and being an engaged Argonne Education Volunteer in the community.
User Experience Analyst, LCF
Education: M.S. in Information Science (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); B.A. in English and Rhetoric (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Hobbies: Traveling, hanging with friends, caring for her cat, trying out new restaurants
As a child, Liza Booker recalls having been a bubbly kid with an unbounded imagination. “I was a tomboy who was into playing video games, building websites on Yahoo Geocities, and creative writing,” she said.
Booker fell in love with technology at a young age, but until she entered college, she did not realize her full potential to study and work with technology, and how it could be more than just a hobby. “It was not a straight path,” she says, “but eventually destiny led me back to working my hardest to be in the field of technology.”
Determined to achieve her dream, Booker has provided critical technical support for Argonne’s state-of-the-art supercomputers and is now solving ALCF and JLSE website’s research and design needs, as well as analyzing usability data for improvement. This improves the overall user experience for scientists and researchers, making it easier for them to efficiently and effectively develop innovative solutions for global concerns such as health and energy.
Every year during the national Hour of Code celebration, drawing on her knowledge and experience as a computer scientist, Booker goes to classrooms to speak with youth and spark their interest in computer sciences. This is just one of many ways she dedicates herself to STEM outreach as an Argonne Education Volunteer.
As a member of Women in Science and Technology (WIST), Booker helps organize the group’s annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. She also mentors youth participating in summer camps such as CodeGirls and the Summer Coding Camp. “Volunteering is incredibly fulfilling,” she emphasizes. “There’s nothing like the joy one feels after helping others.”
Through her own work and through volunteer outreach, Booker appreciates the opportunity to act as a role model for youth – particularly young girls, as they remind her of how she herself was at their age. That’s why she feels it is crucial to make them realize that the world is full of exciting possibilities, and that they have the strength and wisdom within to achieve those dreams.
“Break free from the limits you place on yourself, and your goals will come closer within reach,” Booker says.