Currently researching the intersection of trust and trustworthiness in human-AI teams. Conducting interviews and collaborating with AI experts to help guide the appropriate adoption and use of AI technology.
I worked with remarkable teams of UX researchers, designers, and engineers to conduct generative, iterative, and evaluative research on wearable prototypes in augmented and virtual reality. In this role I realized my passion for human-centered research and design! My experiences here inspired me to further my education in HCI at Georgia Tech.
As a student fellow AARP grant recipient, I designed and led weekly interactive workshops for older adults in assisted living centers. My student volunteers and I built relationships with our older adult community members and we shared many incredible stories, laughs, and memories. Together we learned that the most important values in life transcend any differences in generation or age.
I was recognized with the Henry Freeman Service Award for bringing outstanding leadership and enthusiasm to Wofford’s Intergenerational Connections program through community-building, creativity in program development and implementation, and deepening peer engagement with older adults in Spartanburg, SC.
As a research assistant in the cognition and emotion lab, I researched emotion enhanced memory using visual stimuli and EEG data. Human subjects research with EEG taught me a lot about patience, troubleshooting, and attention to detail! I presented our research findings at the Society for Neuroscience’s 49th Annual Conference, and contributed to the authorship of a journal publication.
Journal Publication
Zarubin, V.C., Phillips, T.K., Robertson, E., Bolton Swafford, P.G., Bunge, T., Aguillard, D., Martsberger, C.,and Mickley Steinmetz, K. R. (2020). Contributions of arousal, attention, distinctiveness, and semantic relatedness to enhanced emotional memory: An event-related potential and electrocardiogram study. Affective Science 1, (172–185).
Turns out you can discover a lot about how humans learn through the study of animal behavior! I worked in Wofford's animal behavior lab for two semesters as a member of a senior thesis research team. My team and I investigated skill learning and stimulus control in a pigeon model, and I helped present our findings at the annual student research symposium on campus.
I was honored and humbled to serve as president of the Pi Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity. One of my favorite memories was participating in the finance and operations committee at the 2018 national convention and presenting our findings to the entire legislative body!
I was recognized for my contributions and service to the Pi Iota chapter with a Chapter Distinguished Service Key, which is a chapter’s highest level of distinction.
