Cintia Listenbee, the publicist and web editor for the Computer Science Department at Rice University, is excited to be in the middle of history.
“Computer science is among the most relevant fields today. Everyone is paying attention to CS, and it has an impact on all of us. Showing the story-maker’s perspective is an interesting challenge. Advances that revolutionize everyday life are happening here. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be close to these history makers, hearing their ideas and how they expect to carry out the next technological revolution.”
Listenbee’s plan for her first 100 days begins with acquiring a solid knowledge of the department and its people. She will broaden the department’s presence through websites and social media.
“Starting with key leadership in the department, I want to become familiar with the people here and the work they perform,” she said. “The technology is fascinating, but it’s the people driving it that I’ll be focused on. I want to get to know their passions how that has an impact on their work.”
Analytics is another area she’ll tackle in her first 100 days. After establishing a good baseline, Listenbee will measure her progress by mining metrics data in Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. She also plans to expand the department’s Instagram and YouTube presence.
“For me, the job is all about making sure the department gets visibility through stories and social media. We should be providing a glimpse of our world in such a way that other people want to be part of it. I plan to meet the technology writers for the Houston Chronicle and NPR, to ensure our breakthroughs are featured in local news.”
She conducted her first CS news interview on her second day at Rice, and is enthusiastic about finding more stories to write. “Get to know me,” she said. “If you see me, introduce yourself. Tell me what you’re working on and what you’re excited about, whether it’s your research or someone else’s. Tell me what topics you want to read about or share with others.”