I am a PhD candidate in
human-computer interaction (HCI) and sociology at Iowa State University.
My
advisors are Stephen
B. Gilbert and William
F. Woodman.My research stands at the nexus of the disciplines of computer science and sociology through the interdisciplinary field of human-computer interaction. I seek to explore the way social theories can be utilized in the design of computer interfaces that increase collaboration along with the ways technology affects social structure.
I have done research in topics such as accessibility/reducing the digital divide, intercultural design of mobile interfaces, multimodal interfaces, and design and evaluation of systems to support group work. Above all, I value collaboration and have worked with individuals from English literature, art and design, computer science, psychology, management information systems (MIS), geologic and atmospheric sciences, mechanical engineering, music, computer engineering, curriculum and instruction, and sociology.
The broad range of interests and skills I have acquired support both my research and teaching efforts. For research, it allows me to seek out new ways of synthesizing diverse ideas and understanding both the technical and human side of human-computer interaction. In teaching, this allows me to explain disciplinary concepts in a way understandable to individuals in other disciplines through use of analogies relevant to students' field of study. When possible, I have tried to combine my research and teaching, using classes I have taught (or plan to teach) to explore areas of research interest such as service design and the impacts technology has on social interaction and social structures.
I have a strong foundation in C++ and Python programming, interaction design, quantitative methods (from "basic" up to structural equation modeling), qualitative methods, and social theory. My strongest areas are theory and methods while my weakest area is graphical design (which I differentiate from interaction design).
Prior to graduate school, I attended DePauw University where I co-majored in computer science and English (creative) writing. In addition, I have done internships at Aerospace Corporation, LexisNexis, and Google.
My Curriculum Vitae is available in PDF format.
About the logo: As a believer in self-branding, I have had several different logos at various points in my life reflecting different messages that I felt were important for me to quickly and easily convey to others. Despite having had this web site since at least 2005, this is the first time I have ever integrated a logo into the banner of the site. This particular logo was created during my first year of studying sociology, where I realized my previous logo did not properly reflect the two halves of my research focus. At the center of the logo, I used a modified version of the network logo (rarely seen on hardware anymore, but still prevalent in Mac OS network settings) with a person at the center. The centrality of the person represents my focus on the user in HCI and his presence within the network logo signifies both my research focus on finding ways of improving collaborative work as well as my focus on collaborating with a diverse range from people. The balance of the left and right sides is more than an aesthetic choice, as I wanted to reflect the balance I try to form between the technical and the human. This balance carries over to other aspects of my life and research and, as such, has been the central focus of my previous logo, which also had an element of self-reflection (not present in this logo, but still a central component to who I am and what I do). As with most things I do, the logo is a product of a rapid, iterative design process from an initial concept and then several alternative designs tested for aesthetic reactions and the understandability of the message (in this case, some understandability was sacrificed for both aesthetic reasons and to better reflect my personal identity).