Martha Kim '98

education, technology
As directed as Columbia University Professor Martha Kim '98 is today, she remembers the shy Second Former who entered Groton unsure of her interests and skills. Little did she think she’d graduate from Groton with ten varsity letters and an accomplished student of Latin, French, history, science, and mathematics. She hardly imagined that someday she'd be teaching computer science at Columbia.

Today, as an assistant professor, she teaches courses in hardware and software design, advises students, and focuses on research in computer architecture. The research group she leads is investigating the high-performance, low-power hardware needs of systems ranging from milliwatt mobile devices to megawatt data centers.

During Martha's freshman year at Harvard, an introductory computer science course engaged her with material that appealed simultaneously to her analytical and creative sides. After graduating, she went on to complete her Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Washington. Groton School, she says, built the foundation for her success. Besides the varsity letters and solid academic training, she says she left "with the tools and lessons" on which she continues to rely. She recalls inspiring faculty members who nurtured a young girl’s love for foreign languages and technical subjects.

“Groton encouraged and prized excellence in every dimension of life: in athletics, in academics, in character," she said. "Mr. Tulp taught precision in Latin conjugations. Kathy Leggat drilled our field hockey team to ‘keep your wits about you’ in pressured situations. Mr. Polk regularly challenged us to consider our role in the greater world.

“Steeped in that rich environment for five formative years, I learned to love the work needed for mastery of skills, to focus and think clearly despite distractions and risk, and to understand and serve the needs of others. Whether I am presenting my research to a thousand people gathered in Beijing or encouraging a despondent student in my office, Groton’s fingerprints are there.”
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