Rita Barvinok, a system administrator in biology, is featured in the Staff Spotlight in The University Record for the week of Dec. 10, 2012.

She provides installation, maintenance, software support, database and web application development for the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, and the Program in Biology.

Originally from Belarus, Barvinok moved to the United States over 18 years ago. Her interest in theater keeps her closely connected to her Russian roots. She and her friends launched the Russian Club (they meet in her basement), to help keep the language alive and do something educational with their children. Barvinok runs the theater, which has produced more than 30 plays in the last 16 years. She also helped create the Russian ABC School in Ann Arbor, where children are immersed in the Russian language at an early age. She is a teacher at the school, leading a seminar on history and culture.  

Read the full University Record Staff Spotlight

Photo credit: Austin Thomason, Michigan Photography