UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #803
BIER, VICKI

BIER, Vicki (1955- )
Professor of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Physics, UW College of Engineering
At UW: 1990-

Interviewed: 2006	
Interviewer: Sandy Pfahler
Length: 1 hour
Indexed by: Rob Rabe

Abstract: Childhood and education in New York and Tucson, Arizona; undergraduate studies in math at Stanford; graduate studies at MIT; research in risk management; faculty position at the UW College of Engineering; teaching and graduate students; research and project funding from the Department of Homeland Security; the climate for women in the sciences at UW; professional organizations; family and recreational activities.

NOTE:  THIS INTERVIEW IS RESTRICTED UNTIL 2012 AND CAN ONLY BE USED WITH THE EXPRESSED, WRITTEN CONSENT OF VICKI BIER

Interview Session (August 28, 2006): Tape 1

Tape 1

00:00:06	Bier was born in New York and grew up in Tucson, Arizona.  She was interested in math and was influenced by her father to pursue math.

00:01:59	She talks about her two brothers.  Neither is a scientist.

00:02:26	She discusses her public school education.  They moved to Arizona around her first grade year.  She attended a private school for a couple of years.

00:03:32	Bier thinks her schools were “so-so.”  Her family always expected that she would go to college.  Both of her parents had college degrees.

00:04:30	She attended Stanford.  She talks about going to school at Stanford.  Social atmosphere on campus.		

00:05:59	She talks about how her family financed her college years.  She had a little bit of part time work and her family paid for most of it.

00:08:44	She discusses her major in mathematical sciences and some of her course work.

00:09:13	Bier talks about her path into graduate school at MIT.  She discusses her relationship with her advisors and some of her course work at MIT.  Working with Al Drake.

00:13:18	She talks about her dissertation research on uncertainty analysis for fault trees.  This area is applied to risk analysis in nuclear energy.  She discusses the culture of the nuclear industry  in the 1980s.

00:14:30	She did not do a post-doc; she went to work to a company called Pickard, Low, and Garrick in Newport Beach, California. This company developed many modern risk analysis methods.

00:15:55	She talks about a post-doc with the government that she decided to turn down.

00:16:27	VB discusses the seven years that she worked at Pickard, Low, and Garrick.  She explains why she decided to leave the company.  Research funding.

00:17:50	She talks about her decision to move into an academic position.  She discusses her interview in the UW Department of Engineering Physics.  She also interviewed for a position in the Industrial Engineering Department and found a better fit for her skills and experience.

00:19:30	Bier explains some of the reasons why she has enjoyed being on the faculty in Industrial Engineering.

00:21:04	She talks about being an assistant professor.  The tenure process.

00:21:58	VB talks about the new Engineering Centers building and the facilities for her work.

00:23:19	She discusses the opportunity for collaboration in the department and in the field generally. The culture of the department.  She sees the atmosphere as friendly on the surface, but also somewhat defensive and slightly contentious.

00:27:58	She talks about her attitudes about teaching and changes in her approach to teaching.  

00:29:26	She discusses mentoring graduate students.  She has more students in recent years after she began to work on Homeland Security projects.

00:30:34	She talks about teaching students how to write.  English as a second language.  Increasing problems with plagiarism.

00:32:45	Bier talks about her research on uncertainty and decision making processes.  

00:33:54	She talks about doing research on security issues.  The effect of September 11 and changes in the atmosphere surrounding defense research.

00:35:19	She discusses the funding for her research.  Her current projects are funded by the Department of Homeland Security.

00:36:13	She talks about a sabbatical in 2001 or 2002.  She spent time studying economics and game theory.  Working with Gary Samuelson.  

00:37:15	Bier talks about the climate for women in the sciences.  Support from colleagues.  

00:40:26	She discusses a “plateau” in the number of female engineering students.  There are usually around 18% females in engineering.  Her department is closer to 1/3.

00:42:03	VB talks about the professional organizations that she belongs to.  

00:43:29	Travel for business and conferences.

00:44:00	Bier talks about her husband and 2 children, one of whom is adopted from Guatemala.  She talks about how to balance her work and her family obligations.  Volunteering at Day Care.  Gardening.  Spending time with her father and her husband’s parents.

00:47:09	Closing comments.

00:47:51	End of Interview.

End of Oral History #802