Anshu:
Hello, and welcome to the Women of IU podcast. The show that highlights and celebrates the important work women do every day at IU and hopes to inspire future women leaders. This podcast is brought to you by the Center of Excellence for Women in Technology. I'm Anshu Roja Selvamani. Today, I'm going to interview Dr. Samantha Wood.
Dr. Wood is an assistant professor in the informatics department of the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, here at Indiana University, Bloomington. She received her BA from Harvard University in social studies, and her MA and PhD from the University of Southern California in psychology, with a focus on brain and cognitive science. Dr. Wood works at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cognitive science, with a focus on understanding how brains learn to build perceptual and conceptual knowledge. Before we dive into the conversation, please rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts, and follow the center on Instagram at @iuwomenandtech.
You can find out more about today's guest in the show notes and at womanintech.indiana.edu. Please enjoy the show. Welcome to the Women of IU podcast, Dr. Wood. It is our pleasure to have you with us. Can we start off by telling us a little bit about yourself and your work and research here at IU?
Dr. Wood:
Definitely. I'm an assistant professor in informatics at IU Bloomington, and the research I do is really at its broadest level, what we're interested in is the origins of intelligence...
Anshu:
Awesome. What do you think you find the most interesting or significant about the work you do?
Dr. Wood:
For me, what has been a real game changer in understanding the mind has been the integration of tools from artificial intelligence...
Anshu:
Awesome. While I was researching about you, something I read on your website was that you use formalizing theories from psychology as agent-based models...
Dr. Wood:
That's such a great question because the ultimate goal of using artificial intelligence in our research is maybe different than it would be for other researchers...
Anshu:
That is great, great information for our listeners. Take us back. How did you get your start in this field of study?
Dr. Wood:
I actually started doing research when I was an undergraduate student. I worked for a number of labs...
Anshu:
Great. And what advice do you have for students or women earlier in their careers to succeed?
Dr. Wood:
First, I would recommend thinking about what it is that you want, both in terms of what kind of field and what type of work you're interested in...
Anshu:
Awesome. What do you see as the future role of women in your industry?
Dr. Wood:
Oh, wow. That's a fantastic question. I'm really fortunate because I have been seeing more and more women in my research area ever since I started...
Anshu:
Very interesting. What challenges do you see in your field, and how do you think those will evolve in the future?
Dr. Wood:
I see a few different challenges, and I think the nature of the challenges that I notice really depend on which field I'm thinking about...
Anshu:
Awesome. Kind of going off on the challenges, how concerned are you about the lack of strong AI legislation...
Dr. Wood:
It's such an interesting question, and I don't think there's a simple answer, to be honest...
Anshu:
I think that is very important because we are getting AI tools at an accelerated pace...
Dr. Wood:
So, the person who inspires me most, you probably hear this a lot, but the person who's always inspired me most is my mother...
Anshu:
I love that. We're out of time, but it was lovely to have you here. If folks want to know more about your work, where can they find more information or reach out to you?
Dr. Wood:
You can find more information by going to our lab website, which is www.buildingamind.com.
Anshu:
Awesome. Thank you so much for being here. It was a pleasure.
Dr. Wood:
Thank you. It was great to be able to talk with you.
Anshu:
Thank you so much for being here, Dr. Wood. It is our pleasure to have you here with us. This is Anshu. Thanks for listening.
Thanks for listening to the Women of IU podcast. Before we go, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and follow the center on Instagram at @iuwomenandtech. This podcast was recorded by the Center for Language Technology here at IU, so we want to give them a big thank you for their support and work. Then stay tuned for the next episode of the Women of IU podcast.
I'm Anshu, thanks for listening everyone.