8 Questions with Eleni Mangina
Professor, University College Dublin
Professor Eleni Mangina (she/her) carried out her PhD work at the University of Strathclyde (UK), Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, working on Agent-based applications for intelligent data interpretation. She holds an MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the Department of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh in the UK and an MSc in Agricultural Science from Agricultural University of Athens in Greece.
In 2002, she joined the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin, Ireland. Eleni Mangina is guided by research integrity and persistence. Her lab operates at the intersection between applied Artificial Intelligence (VR/AR; Data Analytics; UAVs; Information Systems) and a portfolio development within interdisciplinary applications (i.e. Engineering and Educational Systems with XR). Eleni moved to Scotland from Greece in 1997 and then to Ireland in 2002. She is currently the Deputy Vice Principal (International) within the UCD College of Science, and she enjoys international travel in Asia and North America. She is the Chair of Athena SWAN for gender equality application for the School of Computer Science. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her three kids, running with her husband, flying her drone, baking, and knitting.
1. Where’s your hometown?
Dublin.
2. How did you get into STEM?
I grew up in a family in agricultural business. Being the first grandchild to go to University, it was unavoidable that I study Agricultural Science. During the five years of my first degree at the Agricultural University of Athens, I was fascinated by the impact Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science could have on our lives. Throughout the last 24 years since my graduation in Athens (1996), I have seen the evolution of AI and its great contributions to our environment. I am still connected at heart with agriculture, and I love it when I fly my drone over my vineyard in Greece.
3. What is a piece of advice that you have found especially useful?
“Be in control and keep your expectations high on your own achievement, but low on others’ so that you won’t get disappointed.” It’s helped a lot for my leadership skills.
4. What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you deal with it?
I have been working in male-dominated environments since 2002. As a female, I have crafted a meaning of persistence that involves both courage and compassion, along with research integrity and authenticity. After the period of three consecutive maternity leaves (the first one in my School), I was challenged to reinvent myself, as I had to be compared with male colleagues who had never taken a career break. I decided to do what I truly loved, so I focused on training in Robotics and emerging technologies. These technologies have seen extraordinary outcomes in the last five years of my teaching and research portfolio. Looking back, it was a challenge, but choosing to do what I love was not a struggle.
5. What’s something you’ve done that you’re really proud of?
I have led to completion the European-funded project AHA (AdHd Augmented) that delivered an Augmented Reality (AR) solution for an existing online literacy program, which integrated a set of specific technologies and supported interactive educational content, services, assessment and feedback. This project is the first of its kind to assess and quantify the impact of emerging technologies (AR) for educational digital tools and received the Educational Award 2020 in Ireland for Best Research project. There are 509,652 children enrolled in 3,305 primary schools in Ireland and 3–5% have ADHD. Within this pilot 117 students diagnosed with ADHD (4th — 5th class) participated. I believe a positive change at a kid’s life will have tremendous positive impact to societies in the future. We need to invest more towards the younger generation, both time and money.
6. What are you most excited about right now, in or outside of STEM?
I am excited leading the ARETE project, funded from Horizon 2020, aiming to support the pan-European interactive technologies effort both in industry and academia, through the multi-user interactions within AR technologies evaluated in education in both professional and private contexts. The authoring tools used within ARETE and the provision of access of the Augmented Reality (AR) content developed for the broader community of users within the EU, will increase the European innovation capacity in AR. Through systematic application of human-centered design approaches, ARETE will deliver highly usable, useful and desirable AR technologies and contents, leading to a wider uptake and further stimulate their creative usage.
7. What is your favorite source of inspiration?
My main source of inspiration is traveling, as I meet new people and discover new ideas. The more I travel around the world, the more I expand my comfort zone.
8. What is your favorite book or movie?
Favorite Book: Tipping Point : How Little Things can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell.
Favorite Movie: Tootsie (1982).
