Mathematician, artist, archeologist, mudlarker and University of Colorado Professor in Computer Scienceis how Elisabeth Stade was described in the Guardian photo essay by world renown photographer David Levene. “It can sound like a lot!” says Stade, “People always ask me how all these pieces can possibly come together. But they really do.”
Originally trained as a mathematician, Stade was always interested in more than numbers. “In the first calculus course I ever taught, we used coding alongside mathematics, and even investigated the algorithms within the graphing calculators we were using.” Stade has created educational experiences at all levels, from developing new college courses like Mathematics from the Visual Arts to online apps for children with Phet Simulations. She even built a mathematics park in Lafayette Colorado as part of a National Science foundation research project. “We were folding advanced micro-polymers in the lab and wanted a way to make the research ideas accessible - so we created a mathematical canopy and worked with local artists to develop CU Geometry Point.” The park includes hands-on activities and 3-D augmented reality elements. Stade finds computer science comes back again and again as a way to tie together her many research interests.
While collecting artifacts in the UK she attended an archeology conference and found herself partnering and ultimately leading the DataArc archeology team - a National Science Foundation grant creating an innovative searchable database across a variety of data sets, including climate, literature and archeology. The best part of the project was that three of our postbacc students joined in the research process. They developed database tools and held workshops for the scientists - one student was hired by the team when she graduated.
For Stade, computer science is a powerful way to access, create, and explore the rich worlds of human experience. “This is what I love about teaching for our program. We have students coming from many different careers and experiences - from biology, graphic design, engineering, even yoga teachers and photographers - and all of them are finding ways that computer science can enhance their passions or develop new skills.”
