James Webb Telescope Issue - 34

Donor Profile
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Who do you admire and why??
Kyle Lady
Head of Security Engineering
Cisco Security Business Group
Beta Epsilon 2009
Kyle Lady joined HKN as an undergraduate at the
University of Michigan (Beta Epsilon Chapter) in
2009 and has stayed involved in the Chapter ever
since. He served as president in 2012 during his
time as a Ph.D. student at Michigan. He received a
BSE in computer science in 2010 and an MSE in
computer science & engineering in 2012, both from
Michigan. He joined Duo Security in 2015 and has
followed the company's path through acquisition
by Cisco Systems in 2018. Kyle was elected as the
inaugural Student Governor on the IEEE-HKN Board
of Governors in 2014 and 2015. He subsequently
served as a IEEE-HKN Governor At-Large from 2017
to 2019. Kyle currently serves IEEE-HKN as vice chair
of the Chapters & Ritual Committee and as the chair
of the Outstanding Chapter Award subcommittee.
Why did you choose to study the engineering
field (or the field you studied)?
I originally was interested in biomedical engineering,
based on a desire to help people through
science and technology. As I progressed through
introductory courses, I discovered an interest and
aptitude in the software engineering courses. I
pursued that aptitude and latched on to the field
of computer security as a way to similarly benefit
humanity, as grand as it may sound.
THE BRIDGE
I admire a number of pioneers who have thrived
despite societal biases. University of Michigan
professor emerita Lynn Conway has been one of the
most public-facing trans women in computer science
and engineering, significantly contributing to the field
after having to restart her career due to prejudice.
I also admire Edie Windsor, who was a systems
programmer at IBM who became the public face in
a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case to fight for
equal rights.
What is the most important lesson you have
learned during your time in the field?
I had heard people talk about " office politics, " and it
was never anything positive. However, engineering
is a field where collaboration outside of your team
is necessary to succeed with complex projects,
including non-engineering teams. I've learned that
there will be " politics " whenever you need time, staff,
or other resources from other teams (and whenever
they need resources from you). " Politics " can be
productive, as you consider what other teams' needs
and perspectives are, help them proactively, and
build relationships to learn who to go directly to
instead of going up and down the org chart to get
anything done.
What advice can you offer recent graduates
entering the field?
Don't discount the value of clear technical writing. As
you advance in an individual contributor role, you do
less and less hands-on engineering work and more
writing and meeting. Lots of folks set up unneeded
meetings to make up for the fact that there isn't
clear documentation readily available. In any new
role, make a note of everything that you need to ask
someone for help with that you could have simply
read, had it been written down already. Incomplete
documentation is better than no documentation,
so start writing down what you figure out. Have an
expert review that initial version, identify the gaps,
and iterate from there.
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James Webb Telescope Issue

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