Lewis says that Seltzer's experience in industry made her an ideal candidate for the University.

"She had tremendous industrial experience in the software business before going to graduate school, so she understands the engineering side of the field extremely well, a great advantage for people working in this area," Lewis says.

"We all worked very hard to recruit [Seltzer] to Harvard--as did many other major universities and industrial laboratories and are delighted that we succeeded," Martin says. "We wish she were clonable."

Of course, Seltzer still had to decide where she wanted to go to begin her teaching career. It came down to a choice between Harvard and MIT, a decision similar to the one she faced as an undergraduate and as a graduate student. Again it was Seltzer's desire to have impact that brought her back to Harvard.

"Harvard was just starting to build up its systems area with the C.S. department and again it was this potential to really have impact," Seltzer says. "It's the small pond syndrome. If I had gone to MIT and been fabulously successful, I fundamentally would not have changed MIT."

A Woman in the Sciences

Seltzer is particularly unusual in her field because she is a woman. Being a female faculty member and one of the two women faculty members in the applied sciences provides Seltzer with a unique perspective on the often controversial question of being a woman in academia.

"I actually think Harvard as a rule is a wonderful place for women to be," Seltzer says. "I've always been accepted for who I am and what I can do, independently of my gender."

But Seltzer admits that she is sometimes regarded as a token.

"The Development Office loves me," Seltzer says. "I'm a girl. I did the sciences. I was an undergraduate here and now I am a faculty member here. They love dragging me out in front of alumni."

The Development Office taped Seltzer for a cassette they made two years ago for the campaign and used her in multimedia presentation on Harvard.

Seltzer says that in the nearly two decades since she entered the College, one of the biggest changes has been the increased prominence of women throughout the University. For instance, Seltzer herself was the first female conductor of the band, and, during her undergraduate years, the band also had its first female manager.

But the lack of female graduate students and faculty members is a problem that will still take time to solve, Seltzer says.

"It's a clear pipelining problems. You cannot hire women faculty unless you get women applicants," Seltzer says. "And trying to get women applicants in computer science for graduate school: Good luck!"

Seltzer has worked in admissions at both Harvard and Berkeley to help alleviate this problem. Seltzer also helps her women advisees to feel comfortable in computer science.