My research focuses on end-user programming, end-user software engineering, information foraging, and gender issues in software development. For this work I’ve won several Best Paper recognitions, IBM's International Faculty Award, and the NSF Young Investigator Award. I was also the founding project director of the EUSES Consortium, a collaboration among Oregon State University, City University London, Carnegie Mellon University, Drexel University, Pennsylvania State University, STEM Academy, University of Cambridge, University of Nebraska, University of Washington, IBM, and National Instruments to help End Users Shape Effective Software (EUSES).

My STEM research is how to support free-choice learning in the context of technology usage, in which users learn “just a little bit more” to overcome a new technological barrier or problem they encounter. I am especially interested in supporting gender differences in how technology users learn and overcome problems in these settings.

Gender outreach: I am Co-Chair of NCWIT’s (National Center for Women in IT) Academic Alliance, and have performed a variety of functions for that organization, including co-authoring a “kit” on how to support research experiences for undergraduates. See Margaret's page on the OSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science website.