Alcalá View 1994 10.7

Kathleen Kramer Isn't Just Poolin' Around By Michael R. Haskins K ath leen Kramer is the first one to admit that she can't walk on water. But she has done some other pretty amaz ing th ings. Kramer, an ass istant pro-

(Continued from page one) nating field of genealogy on Monday, April 11, 1-2 p.m., in the University Center Forum A. RSVP to Pat Watson, ext. 4594, by April 9. Youth Seeks Summer Home A 17-1/2-year-old Irish boy from Dublin, Ireland, would like to spend time in America living and working for a fami- ly this summer. Please con- tact Sister Virginia McMonagle at ext. 4629 if you or some- one you know is interested. Benefit Briefs Many employees enroll their child(ren) in summer camp programs as an alter- native to day care. Be aware that the cost of certain sum- mer camp programs is not eligible as a dependent care reimbursement. Employees may receive reimbursement of day care expenses when the care enables the parent(s) to work or look for work. Expenses for food, clothes, schooling and entertainment are not eli- gible for reimbursement. For summer camp expens- es to qualify for reimburse- ment, the sponsor of the camp must be a licensed day care provider. YMCA sum- mer camps qualify because the YMCA has an ongoing day care program and is a licensed day care provider. But USD's Creative Kids summer program does not qualify for reimbursement, because USD's continuing education department is not a licensed day care provider. Dependent care reimburse- ment requests for summer camp expenses may be denied if they do not meet IRS guidelines. See IRS pub- lication 503 . Employees retiring in 1994 or 1995 will be invited to an information meeting in April. The meeting will cover when and how to apply for Social Security and Medicare, USD 's retiree benefits, health insurance options and more. Watch campus mail for date, time and RSVP information. - Vicki Coscia

fesso r in the engineering and phys ics department, ca lls herse lf the "des ignated bad des ign vict im" when it comes to USD's annua l Walk on Water contest. For the pas t three years, she has piloted crafts crea ted by her co lleagues in the event, in which the challenge is to wa lk across USD's poo l in buoyant shoes. "For three years in a row I have n't go tten more than

Kathleen Kramer takes the first tentative ste/Js in USD's annual Walk on \\1/ater contes t. ·

she fo llowed her instincts and checked back to see if there was sti ll room fo r her here. There was , and she now says she made the right dec ision in the encl. Instinct a lso played a big ro le in gett ing Kramer into enginee ring in the first place. "I loved physics in high schoo l, so eve ryone told me I should major in engineering in co ll ege ," she recalls. "The cho ices we re mechanica l, civil and e lectri ca l enginee r- ing. S ince I didn't know what the first two mean t, I went with electr ica l." The cho ice proved to be a good one, as it allowed Krame r to wo rk with compu ters, a spec ialty that she continues to pursue today. And although that area might seem too technica l fo r some, the results are quite practical. Fo r example, an int imidating ren- d ition of a computer chip hangs on the wa ll of Kramer's office, electrica l tentacles cast- ing about in a ll directions. But the chi p has a simple, fri endly fun ct ion: It plays cas ino craps. That's what Kramer ca lls the essence of enginee ring. "Pure sc ience seeks knowledge fo r its own sake," she says. "But enginee rs design and in vent and crea te. They spe nd the ir time turning ideas in to rea lity." And while that ability may no t be qu ite the same as wa lking on water, it's sti ll a bit of a mi racle.

a few steps," she laughs. "There's an ongo ing debate in our department about thi s. I say I'm a victim of bad des ign; they say they're vict ims of pilot error." A lthough that debate may neve r be se t- tl ed, there is no argument about Kramer's ab ilities as an educator. On Feb. 25, the night before the Wa lk on Water contest, she rece ived the Distinguished Enginee ring Educator Award from the San Diego Enginee ring Society, the umbrella organiza- tion fo r 33 enginee ring and techni ca l soc i- eties in San Diego County. She reca lls that when her list of achi evements was read prior to the presentation, "it felt li ke they were ta lking about somebody else." Those achievements include Kramer's work as fo under of and fac ulty adv isor to USD's student secti on of the Soc iety of Women Enginee rs, a nat ional organi zat ion, as well as her ro le in the university's rela- t ive ly young enginee ring program. The recogn iti on was a surprise bonus for a woman who says her grea test reward is "when I fee l I' ve succeeded in teaching my students. " Teaching wasn 't a lways in Kramer's plan. After finishing h er doctorate in 199 1, she initially turned down the offer of a pos ition at USO and accepted a job with Bell Communi cations Research . But then, fee l- ing as if she was about to make a mistake,