cls663 @ nyu dot edu ~ (they/she) ~ CV

I’m a PhD student studying Educational Communication and Technology at NYU Steinhardt. Inspired by my own interdisciplinary arts education, in my research I explore how creative learning and work shape social awareness and behavior. I take particular interest in how to design creative learning experiences that improve youths’ critical consciousness, relationships, and emotional wellbeing in the context of our increasingly digital world. For my dissertation, I’m investigating how emotional vulnerability mediates critical constructionist computing education from design, pedagogical, and learning perspectives. Across my work I am inspired by critical theories that frame learning as a process of identity development and education as a tool for social change.

My background is in Interdisciplinary Art & Media Studies and Human-Computer Interaction. Beyond my studies at NYU, I work as an educator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Youth Women’s Christian Association of Manhattan. I am also an artist, and I use a wide range of media to discuss themes about queerness, childhood, and science and technology.

touchBase

a tangible programming language

2024 - present

RQ: How do multimodal design choices impact how students learn from and create with a tangible programming language for physical computing?

Keywords: tangible interfaces, computer science education, creative expression, visual representation, design thinking

Immersive Art Protection Plan

a body of art-based research

2022 - present

RQs: What would it look like for immersive art to be psychologically weaponized? How do we prevent this from happening?

Keywords: virtual reality, immersive art, futurism, fascism, dark patterns

NeuraFutures

an installation about brain-computer interfaces

2020 - present

RQs: What can science fiction help us understand about brain-computer interfaces? How can public art spaces be useful for scientific communication?

Keywords: brain-computer interfaces, science fiction, exhibit design, informal learning, ethics of technology

DynaTags

dynamic AR markers for enhanced tangible interactions

2021 - 2022

RQs: Can fiducial markers be dynamic? How would this extend the modalities of tangible experiences?

Keywords: tangible interaction, paper interfaces, shape changing, augmented reality, computer vision