In the puritanical United States, we don’t really talk about our genitals. While I generally think this is to our detriment, there is such a thing as too much information, and everyone deserves some privacy. But as a trans person in a transphobic world, especially a world particularly obsessed with…
When I nominated myself to co-chair back to back years of the ACM International Computing Education Conference (ICER) back in late 2018, I didn’t fully comprehend what I was taking on. Part of that was purely organizational: whenever someone volunteers for academic service, there’s a wide range of things one…
I’m having bottom surgery on August 24th, 2021
Of course, I had no obligation to tell you that. You have no right to my medical or surgical history, and no say in what I do with my body. You might have been curious, and that’s okay; but I didn’t tell you this to satisfy your curiosity. I shouldn’t…
It’s academic promotion season, which means many junior scholars are earning tenure, a form of lifetime security of employment in academic. (Congratulations to my former Ph.D student Mike, I’m so proud of you!)
With this security comes immense privileges and power: a freedom to share ideas without the chilling threat…
My first year of doctoral advising in 2008 wasn’t exactly a triumph. I’d just moved across the country. I’d just separated from my wife and was in the middle of a divorce, deep in arguments about child support and joint custody. I was broke after 6 years on a doctoral…
I am, by my nature, a passive person. I’ve always been happy to sit back and let someone else decide, especially when decisions are complicated, socially fraught, or consequential. There’s really nothing about me that seeks to carry that responsibility any further than I have to. …
There are a lot of computing education conferences—far more than I’m used to in other academic fields. There’s the (big) SIGCSE Technical Symposium, the (rigorous) International Computing Education Research conference, the (European) Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE), the (Finnish) Koli Calling, the (originally German) Workshop in Primary…
Content warning: this reflection discusses binge drinking and suicidal ideation. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or Trans Lifeline for support. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
I’m quite an introverted person. I get along fine in social…
Eighteen years ago, I remember sitting on a couch in front of a whiteboard arguing about the boundaries of human-computer interaction (HCI) research with two of fellow Ph.D. students. We were all in our first year at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and the question felt urgent: this is…
