a kayla update: My first month of PhD!

What I've been up to over the past 4ish weeks and what I plan to get up to over the next 4ish years.

Disclaimer: None of the thoughts expressed in my blog reflect those of Georgia Tech, any institution I was/am a part of, Douglasvillle, my ancestors, etc. In fact, the older this post is, the more likely it is that this no longer reflects those of myself.

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First off - hello to new folks who’ve subscribed over the past couple of weeks! If you’re willing, I’d love to know more about you - please send me a note or comment. I’m curious to hear what about humans be like caught your eye. I’m Kayla, a lover of questions - especially those that make me uncomfortable. Humans Be Like is my public lab notebook where I cobble together other peoples’ answers to my questions, reflect on what I’ve found, figure out my own perspective(s), and look back to notice how my perspectives are changing over time.

Thanks for joining us!

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I just wrapped up my fourth week as a PhD student at Tech. Since stepping on campus I’ve…

Attended 8 lectures, read 20ish papers for class, read 40ish papers for my thesis, written a few hundred lines of code, and have gotten lost on campus a little bit more than a couple times…

The title of my PhD program is Human Centered Computing (HCC) - link here - there are about 8 of us who just started the program this fall. I’m a member of the Culture and Technology (CAT) Lab - a fabulous team of (now!) four PhDs, led by Principal Investigator (“PI” aka my research advisor) Dr. Betsy DiSalvo.

The HCC program gives its PhD students a few specializations to choose from. In other words, I get to pick a topic under which I’ll take extra classes & do additional readings:

• Cognitive Science, or

• Human Computer Interaction, or

• AI / Intelligent Systems, or

• Learning Science and Technology, or

• Social Computing

I’m leaning toward Social Computing! I’ll confirm this decision sometime in the spring. Here’s why I’ll likely specialize in social computing:

In the field of Social Computing, researchers are interested in how humans engage in social behaviors (e.g. talking, learning, and co-building things) using technology. Examples of social computing include email, texting, social media, dating apps, Slack, etc.

Right now, I’m interested conducting research studies on how the design of features on collaborative platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams dismantle and/or reinforce power structures in institutions like universities, nonprofits, workplaces, and hospitals.

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On a personal/phenomenological/emotional level… going back to school has been a major adjustment. I have incredibly exciting days and extremely exhausting days. I’m so grateful that there are plenty more of the former than the latter. Tech is already starting to feel like an intellectual home. It’s a beautiful feeling to be exactly where I know I’m supposed to be.

I’ll continue to give intermittent updates like this one between my longer-form blog posts. Have a great weekend!

Kayla