Barbara Oakley is an Associate Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.She received her B.A. in Slavic Languages and Literature, as well as a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, from the University of Washington in Seattle. Her Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Oakland University was received in 1998. Her technical research involves biomedical applications and electromagnetic compatibility. She is a recipient of the NSF FIE New Faculty Fellow Award, was designated an NSF New Century Scholar, and has received the John D. and Dortha J. Withrow Teaching Award and the Naim and Ferial Kheir Teaching Award.