Randall’s success derives from his inherent attraction to technology, both as a
means of innovation and as social connectivity. When he joined Microsoft in 1994 at the height of the word processor war, he worked on features in Microsoft Word that were aimed at converting users of competing products into loyal Microsoft Word users. Over the course of his time at Microsoft he has led several teams concerned with integrating internet capabilities into the Office applications, tackling the total cost of ownership (TCO) around Office, and improving the user interface. Currently, he manages a team responsible for the development and implementation of the Microsoft Office website (
http://office.microsoft.com) and several other features that exist in the client applications. These features enhance the users’ knowledge of the product , which will improve user productivity while increasing customer satisfaction. “Since I was young, I have always been fascinated with technology,” says Boseman. “Particularly taking stuff apart and figuring out how to break it.” But it was his journey as an intern at IBM, while attending Xavier University, which helped shape his career to what it is today. “My internship gave me real life expe- rience in coding, computer programming and introduced me to the work environment.” At the conclusion of his second internship, Boseman knew that he definitely wanted to continue his work with technology, but didn’t know what steps to take in order to reach his career goals. It wasn’t until a college career fair that he would find his answer. There, Boseman was introduced to representatives from Microsoft looking to recruit talented college graduates.
“I just had a gut feeling that there was a future in Microsoft,” Boseman recalls. “I went over to the Microsoft podium, signed up, submitted my resume and hoped for the best.”
Several days later, he would interview and receive a job offer as a test engineer in the Microsoft Profit Group. Boseman says Microsoft offered an inclusive environment that encouraged problem solving, and a place to grow his skills. He believes that his journey from being an intern at IBM to his current employment with Microsoft is one that others looking to engage in similar avenues in technology should experience. With this mission in mind, Boseman wanted to reach out to the very community that helped launch his career. Using his contacts at his alma mater, Randall aided Mi- crosoft in pursuing diverse talent and provided mentoring to students about how to be successful in Microsoft’s highly demanding work environment. In 2003, Randall went a step further when he assisted in running a program started by a few colleagues called Project X—a program designed to get HBCU students inter- ested in technology. Project X allowed students an opportunity to participate in rigorous contests that offer them real world experience in a technology-based career. Project X was set up to offer a chance for each student to understand and experi- ence what it would be like to work at Microsoft. The contest was so successful that it expanded to Morehouse College, Howard University and other HBCUs. “It’s all about reaching back,” says Boseman. “I knew that there were students at Xavier and other schools that could learn from my experiences and who would also have a positive experience here at Microsoft.” Boseman’s unconditional compassion for his community, along with his commit- ment to helping others to reach their career goals, is a rare gift that sets him apart from many others. His incredible journey to success isn’t just measured by his tenure at Mi- crosoft, but by the many students he has helped navigate through a maze of uncertainty to imagine their goals and obtain them.
www.blackengineer.com
dress complex biological questions that are difficult or impossible to study using natural organisms.
“BEACON will conduct research on fun- damental evolutionary dynamics in both natural and artificial systems,” said Erik Goodman, MSU professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the center. “In addition, we will edu- cate a generation of multidisciplinary scientists, and improve public under- standing of evolution at all levels.”
In contrast to evolutionary studies focusing on fossil records or compari- son of DNA among species to discover common ancestry, BEACON will focus on evolution as an ongoing process, us- ing real organisms in laboratories and at field sites, and using “digital organisms” undergoing real evolution on comput- ers. “BEACON is multidisciplinary to its core,” Goodman said. “In addition to making discoveries in basic science and applications, it will prepare a new generation of researchers with the kind of insight that comes from first-hand experimentation with evolution in the lab and in the computer.”
BEACON will unite biologists who study natural evolutionary processes with computer scientists and engineers who are harnessing these processes to solve real-world problems. The center will promote the transfer of discoveries from biology into computer science and engineering design, while using novel computational methods and systems to address complex biological questions that are difficult or impossible to study with natural organisms.
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USBE&IT
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