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��Kate Davis (InfoSci'25)
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For people in technical fields, HCI is a well-known acronym for human-computer interaction—the study of how people and computers interact to design more user-friendly and efficient technology. For Kate Davis (InfoSci’25), it stands for human-clay interaction: She uses ceramics to tell stories through data. Davis is enrolled in the accelerated master’s program in information science and is the department’s William W. White outstanding senior.

Conversation edited for length and clarity.

She had wanted to attend CU Boulder since she was in the third grade, but Kate Davis didn’t know what she wanted to major in until she discovered information science. ‘I was like, “Oh, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life,”’ she says. Photo courtesy Kate Davis.

����So, I know you’re passionate about data visualizations. You have a bar graph emoji as part of your title on LinkedIn. But you’re really into data physicalization.
Yes—it’s where my art practices minor comes in. I am interested in communicating information with a more emotional, human-centered story approach. So, I use qualitative methods to understand data and human stories, then encode that into the qualities of ceramics—its texture, form, color.

����A particular project you’re most proud of?
I’m working on a piece that showcases the experience of home loss in the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire. You see a lot of statistics and two-dimensional maps, but I grew up in that area, and those visualizations don’t, to me, reflect the experience of going through that. I want this piece to encapsulate the experience you can take from the data, as opposed to just stats.

����So, you’re from Colorado Springs. How did you end up in Boulder?
In third grade, I decided I wanted to go to CU Boulder to be an engineer. Turns out, I didn’t want to be an engineer. But I was touring Boulder and met Jed Brubaker, who told me about information science. And I was like, “Oh, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

����Third grade? Really?
We would go camping in Rocky Mountain National Park every year and drive through Boulder, and I would just think what a pretty place it was. (Laughs.)

����How important was it to you to be near the outdoors?
The river is a big part of my life—where I go when I’m stressed, or to be social. They’re another place I explore in my work. I did a ceramics project where I created bird whistles—if you fill them with water and hold them at the right spot, they sing. It forces you to be still and requires you to be near water.

����I know you’re a lifeguard. And you were president of the kayaking club. Has water always been important to you?
Actually, one of my favorite memories from CU is learning to do a new sport. I know it’s cliche to tell people to try as much as they can in college, but I saw a guy holding a boat at CU’s involvement fair, and said, “That looks fun. I’ll try that.”

����You mentioned stress earlier. Who supported you when you felt overwhelmed as a student?
I have received immense support from Evan Peck, my advisor, and Jed. Also Priscilla Hopper. Crissy Bowen—oh my gosh, I cannot express all she does. I got a concussion last year—

����A concussion? What happened?
I fell off my bike riding home from class. I know, it’s not even a cool story! But Crissy helped me get a doctor’s appointment. That’s on top of everything else she does.

����Last question. What’s next for you?
I love my research. I hear a PhD program whispering to me, but after I graduate this December, I want to work in the industry for a few years before I figure out my next move.

Joe Arney covers research and general news for the college.��