This fall, the Educational Psychology department welcomed two new faculty members: Assistant Professor Shamya Karumbiah, Learning Sciences Area, and Assistant Professor Christy Starr, Human Development Area. Read their reflections on their first semester in the department below:
Shamya Karumbaiah
As I began my research at UW-Madison, I noticed that my choices were driven by the fear of making mistakes. What if my work in responsible AI harms the very communities I am trying to serve? It is good to be cautious, but not to the extent that it leaves you paralyzed.
What helped me was realizing that I am not alone. Over the last few months, I’ve spent several hours with my colleagues on campus who selflessly dedicated their time to me. My earlier emails, with elaborate explanations for why they should meet me, have now become two-liners suggesting, “Let’s grab a coffee.” No justifications, no answers to “What’s in it for me?” no failed attempts at selling half-baked ideas for collaboration—just the joy of engaging in conversations on tough topics, and their willingness to support a junior colleague.
Home is where I feel I belong, where I know people have my back, and where I can leave my fears at the door and embrace my full self. Wrapping up my first semester, it feels like I have found my research home in UW-Madison and Ed Psych.
Christy Starr
My first semester as an assistant professor at UW-Madison has been a dream come true! It’s been so lovely to get to know the other faculty members here and start on the next phase of my career. So far, I’ve learned a lot about grants, the pathway to tenure, and time management. The latter has been particularly important given my added duties transitioning from a postdoc to faculty member. I’ve learned that it’s key to set aside two hours of writing time each morning, when I’m fresh and not prone to giving into distractions. I’ve also learned a lot about grants and the pathway to tenure, particularly from my faculty mentor Haley Vlach as well as other faculty such as Amy Bellmore, Andy Garbacz, and David Kaplan. Finally, I’ve learned a lot from the social sciences grant writing boot camp I’m attending with Shamya Karumbaiah; I’m excited to apply for an NIH grant this summer. In terms of my research, beyond wrapping up my postdoc papers, I’ve been doing a lot of reading to get more familiar with the rural experience, particularly in Wisconsin—my favorite book so far has been “The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin” by UW-Madison professor Katherine Cramer. Going forward into the spring semester, I’m excited to start data collection for my new study examining the experiences of rural college students majoring in STEM. One pleasant surprise has been the IRB here—I had my project approved in under two weeks, which is a record for me!