xREZ Student Spotlight: Kathryn

Meet Kathryn, a UNT graduate student in Information Science researching human-computer interaction (HCI), tacit expertise, and cognitive psychology!

Kathryn is intrigued by extreme environments and what human beings can do within them. She’s pursuing a PHD in information science researching embodied information behaviors in extended reality – VR, AR and mixed reality. She recently published a paper on “Creativity and Cognition in Extreme Environments: The Space Arts as a Case Study” in Frontiers in Psychology, which you can read here.

Kathryn joined the lab in the fall of 2015 as an undergraduate student studying psychology. In 2017, she graduated from UNT with her bachelor’s degree and went on to receive her master’s degree in neuroscience from UT Dallas. Today, she’s back at UNT working toward her doctorate. Through all these years and degrees, even while at another university, Kathryn remained a valuable part of our lab team. She’s worked on research projects studying 3D Segmentation and tacit expertise, human-computer interaction in VR, and more. While working on her masters degree in neuroscience at UT Dallas, she was also involved in UTD’s ArtSci Lab where she studied creativity and cognition in extreme environments. 

Outside of her research, Kathryn is an artist and loves painting and drawing. She enjoys reading, baking, cooking, and gardening, playing soccer and long-distance running.

Here’s a quick Q + A to get to know more about Kathryn’s experience as a member of the lab and her life outside of it:

Q: What motivates you to pursue art + science research?

A:  I find it very difficult to separate art and science because so often science enables art and art enables science. Artsci is very applicable and impacts people’s day-to-day lives in unexpected ways that many don’t notice. By incorporating diverse perspectives, we can expand problem solving approaches in amazing ways!

Q: What is your most memorable, meaningful, proud, or fun experience at the lab?

A: Before the pandemic, we used to have lab team dinners and other gatherings where we would talk about our research projects. It was fun to learn about and get excited about what everyone was working on. 

Q: What is your most meaningful, memorable, proud, or fun experience in your life?

A: A few years ago, I studied abroad in London and lived on my own. I was glad for the opportunity to thrive and explore a new environment on my own and build more confidence!

Q: What is something about you that might surprise your labmates?

A: I grew up in southern Japan and went to elementary school there. 

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: Any heist movie

Q: What is your favorite place to visit?

A: I like to visit botanical gardens, book stores, and art museums.

Q: Who is your favorite musical artist?

A: Mitski and Nothing But Thieves

Q: What is your favorite charitable cause?

A: Local women’s charities and shelters, such as SafeHaven

xREZ Art + Science Lab

Imagine. Discover. Create.
xREZ Art+Science lab forges productive paths that harness the unique creative forces found only at the intersection of the arts, sciences and humanities to open new portals of imagination, knowledge and communication.Our goal: alter the landscape of human endeavor to create transformative impact on our world and our future.

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