April 14, 2015

UW Information School’s Katie Davis gets NSF Early Career Award

Katie Davis, assistant professor at the University of Washington Information School, has received a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation.

Davis, who studies the role of digital media technologies in the lives of teenagers, will receive $759,462 over five years for a project titled “Digital Badges for STEM Education.” The work aims to develop and implement a system to identify and reward science, technology, engineering and math skills and achievements in a science-based after-school program at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center.

“I’m thrilled to receive this early career award from the NSF, which will allow me to pursue my research on strategies for incorporating new media technologies into learning environments in ways that resonate with young people,” Davis said, “including their interests, goals, and everyday technology use.”

She is the author, with educator Howard Gardner, of the 2013 book “The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy and Imagination in a Digital World.” She holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate in human development and education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Davis is the fourth iSchool recipient of the award. Associate professors Jacob O. Wobbrock, Amy Ko and Julie Kientz were recipients in 2010. Kientz now works in the UW Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering.