My Research Story:
There are two things that bring me incredible satisfaction: understanding people and using new tools to inspire and share complex ideas. In elementary school, I loved projects that allowed me to express thoughts and ideas in a visual way. I can fondly recall spending hours arranging pictures and notecards on a poster to tell a story about ancient Egyptian mummies, and searching for just the right materials to create a model of a cell. As I’ve continued to develop both professionally and creatively, I’ve worked to expand my understanding of new media and design, while strengthening my ability to ask the right questions and use data to tell a meaningful story about human behavior.
I want to understand how our environment shapes who we are. As an undergraduate studying behavior and perception, I explored how communication systems evolved for different animals given their unique surroundings. I later had a life-changing opportunity to help test new technologies for the visually-impaired. From this experience, I came to appreciate the tremendous value in understanding intended users. As our world rapidly changes through the influx of ubiquitous computing, it is essential that we maintain a focus on the user’ needs and processing abilities.
My goal is to find a platform where I can merge my strengths and find new applications to help people. I want to inform technologies that boost creativity, improve communication, and enhance our everyday lives. I’m interested in the holistic experience, how technology influences us, and how our own identifies can guide the next generation of computers.