Lisa McNair has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Chicago. She has worked at Virginia Tech since 2005 and serves as the deputy executive director for the Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) as well as a professor in the Department of Engineering Education. After receiving her Ph.D., she held a Brittain Fellowship at Georgia Tech in their School of Literature, Media, and Communication, and has also held many roles in technical communications, including at Coca-Cola and various start-up companies. 

1. What was your very first job and what did it teach you?

I’ve always wanted to have my own money, because of the independence that gives you. My first job making money for myself was around 4th grade. I first ordered greeting cards from a magazine and sold them to people in my neighborhood. It was a lot of work for little money, and it turned out to be a bit of a scam, but this was an important lesson in and of itself. From this experience I also met a woman in my neighborhood who said I could come vacuum her house to make some money. Once I started working with her, I could use her as a reference. She introduced me to one of her friends, and after a while I had multiple clients. What I learned from this is the first thing you try is not necessarily going to work, but if you open your mind and keep looking for different ideas, you’ll find something that will work out. I also learned that networking is vital to success in almost anything you do.

2. Over the course of your career, what is your proudest achievement?

It’s hard to specify one achievement, so generally I will say I am most proud of the programs I have created and help build. I was a founder of the Ph.D. program in engineering education, which has led the field for over 20 years. I created multiple undergraduate interdisciplinary programs, now bearing fruit in the successful project-based course Interdisciplinary Projects (IDPro).

For half of my career at Virginia Tech, I have also been working with ICAT where I was director of the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI). I'm proud of what we did in those early days at CENI. With the help of Phyllis Newbill, associate director of educational networks at CENI, Sue Magliaro, professor emerita of educational psychology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Science, and Liesl Baum, research assistant professor, we created the educator liaison program. This program, which continues to grow, has educators from the schools in our region come to Virginia Tech on a weekly and monthly basis. We also have liaisons with museums and different kinds of cultural centers. It’s an innovative idea that connects the university to the community in an impactful way. Through this program, faculty instructors and administrators at Virginia Tech get the opportunity to learn about what’s happening in communities, and people in the community have their own network at Virginia Tech. This program is core to the service mission of Virginia Tech.

3. What is your favorite part of your roles at Virginia Tech?

My favorite thing about working here is the freedom to be creative and work with people across the university to make Virginia Tech a great experience for students. I also enjoy working with faculty to do things you normally wouldn’t. As an investment institute, ICAT gives seed grants to faculty teams who work across disciplines. We get great seed grant proposals. When people get a little bit of support and start working together, ideas grow into phenomenal products – performances, artwork, new methods, inventions – that would never have happened if people had worked alone in their own discipline.

4. What projects are you currently working on at Virginia Tech?

Currently, I am working with Virginia Tech MADE: Center for Advanced Manufacturing. I'm working with Director Chris Williams, Research Associate in Engineering Education Hannah Glisson, and graduate students Ernesto Cuesta and Ben Chaback to lead faculty in workshops to create modules that teach engineering and science principles in the context of advanced manufacturing while integrating experiential learning. We’re connecting with industry and enhancing awareness of the potential of advanced manufacturing. These modules are designed first for a “manufacturing spine” throughout the College of Engineering curriculum. We are also designing modules to use in the wider community, including for high schools, bridge programs between high school and college, community colleges, and upskilling for people already in their careers.

I’m also involved with David Gray’s team leading the IDPro class. We have over 20 projects offered this year across that many areas, including student-led entrepreneurial teams, faculty research, and industry projects.  A new one that I’m excited about will offer students across colleges the opportunity to work with the Taubman Museum of Art to create a sculpture garden in collaboration with instructors in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design. There’s room in the class for people who could engage with landscape architecture, master gardeners, sculpture, structural engineering, education, and marketing. I’m looking forward to seeing this project get off the ground this fall.

5. What do you like most about serving on the Virginia Tech Council on Vibrant Virginia?

Serving on the Virginia Tech Council on Vibrant Virginia helps me to broaden my interactions with the business and educational community as well as the people living in our region who are impacted by what we do here at Virginia Tech. These people are fantastic partners, and it's always been part of my philosophy to partner and co-create with the community we’re a part of. CECE opens doors, brings people together, and is always strategizing for how we can do better.

6. What projects would you like to work on with CECE in the future?

I’m hoping to connect to the work I'm doing with Virginia Tech MADE. We are working on co-designing internship opportunities for students in collaboration with the community, businesses, and other schools, improving the opportunities that are available to students while at the same time increasing value for the wider community.

7. What is the best advice you have ever received?

“Put one foot in front of the other.” I am a big picture person, a dreamer, and a complicater, so remembering to go ahead and get started has always been helpful for me.

8. What is a book you have read recently that you would recommend?

I am in the middle of reading an anthology of American short stories, edited by Joyce Carol Oates. I'm coming across a lot of classic short stories I've never read before and am really enjoying the economy of form.

9. What is the most memorable place you have ever visited?

When I was living in Chicago, my husband and I drove across the country to the Badlands. We traded driving and sleeping. When I woke up, the sun was rising, and it was the most beautiful magic hour kind of light. We were transported to a still and quiet landscape painted with oranges, reds, yellows, and purples.