Introductions Are in Order . . .

Professionally

My name is Pamela Wisniewski (pronounced WIZ-NES-KEY). I am a PhD Candidate in Computing and Information Systems at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC). I am part of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab in the Software Information Systems department.  My dissertation research focuses on interpersonal boundary regulation within online social networks.

Click here to download my:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Statement of Purpose

I have a Master of Science in Decision and Information Sciences (now ISOM) from the University of Florida. I have worked as a systems developer in the financial services and medical consulting fields predominantly leveraging Microsoft technologies.  I was recently a part-time faculty member at UNCC teaching Human-Computer Interaction (ITIS 3130), Web Development using XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript (ITIS 2300), and Introduction to Management Information Systems (INFO 3130). Right now, I am concentrating on 1) finishing my dissertation by Summer 2012 and 2) Finding a job.

Personally

Call me Pam. I was born in Gainesville, Florida.  That’s right, I’m a native Gator.  I am the youngest daughter with two sisters who are 7 and 18 years older than me.  Growing up, I was a complete nerd who liked being at school more than I liked being at home. I am horrible at any kind of sports and, in fact, once told a co-worker that “the only place I can catch or throw is in code.”  Yeah, I am that bad. I am a fiscal conservative and a social moderate who doesn’t like to argue about politics.  I am a non-denominational Christian and believe God has a grander plan for us all than the strife and conflict humans bring upon ourselves in the name of “religion.”

I am married to my best friend, Mike.  We met on Match.com. I love him so much I even took his insanely long last name (of which none of my students can pronounce).  We got married on 8/8/08 and have since been learning the fine art of being married. We have a cat and two dogs – Chiaroscuro (“Scuro”), Carrera (“Rrera”), and Uluru (“Ru”) (Ra, my little orange buddy passed away a couple of years ago). Some of our hobbies include camping, kayaking, hiking to waterfalls, home improvement, and traveling.  So far we have gone on vacation to Italy, Greece, and Turkey (Eastern Mediterranean cruise for our honeymoon), Alaska, Cozumel Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Grand Caymen (Caribbean cruise). Mike traveled all over the world (but, of course, it doesn’t count since I wasn’t with him) when he was a consultant for IBM for 8 years.  Currently, Mike is a Solutions Architect for a company that specializes in embedded software.  He deals with what’s “inside” technology, and I focus on the point of juxtaposition where people end and IT begins, and vice versa. That boundary is getting fuzzier every day . . . Overall, we try to work hard, love one another, enjoy life, and do good.