Women in Technology Celebrate NYU Trailblazers

By Jen Sloan | December 9, 2019

three profile photos

WIT trailblazers Shelly J. Smith, Jelena Kovačević, and Kitty Bridges

NYU IT launched Women in Technology (WIT) to empower women who are working in tech-related professions at NYU, and to encourage them to reach their fullest professional and personal potential by pursuing University career opportunities, taking advantage of professional resources on campus, and employing industry best practices in their fields. In support of this goal WIT features trailblazers on its website to highlight women within the NYU community who have made significant contributions to the technology field.

The most recent trailblazer, Shelly J. Smith, runs the LaGuardia Studio, a part of NYU IT Research Technology. The Studio is engaged in 3D printing and scanning for research, medical, and artistic projects. Smith says her current focus came about by exposure to new technology, combining it with her formal fine art and design backgrounds. To this day she uses design problem-solving and conceptualizing skills in her daily work.

Another outstanding trailblazer is Kitty Bridges. Over the years she has been responsible for many parts of NYU Information Technology operations: User and Global Support; Information Security; NYU IT Communications; Strategic Planning; and Service Delivery and Management. Bridges originally came to NYU to design the University’s primary data center. She is now Associate Vice President, Digital Accessibility/IT Policy and Compliance for NYU IT.

Jelena Kovačević, is the first woman to head the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and another stellar trailblazer. Her background spans teaching, research, and scholarly writing. Besides many academic awards, she has 21 patents to her name. Her research interests include applying data science to several domains, biology, medicine, and smart infrastructure. She is also an authority on multi-resolution techniques, such as wavelets and frames. Kovačević is both the William R. Berkley Professor and the Dean of Tandon.

Visit the WIT Trailblazers page to read more about these three remarkable women, other WIT trailblazers, and to keep the conversation going.