A precocious playmate One of my close friends growing up used a lot of big words. My vocabulary was decent, but with her I was often outpaced. I distinctly remember one time in third or fourth grade when I was at her house playing and she dropped one of her vocab words. I wish I Read More…
Category: Works in Progress
Genetic “Mesearch”
Personal genomics Personal, consumer genomics has exploded in the past decade, and shows no signs of slowing. Yet there is an inherent tension in attempts to translate the findings of genetic research, which is done in large groups of people, into insights for individuals. I.e., the research question, “Does this genetic variant, or set of Read More…
A Room of One’s Own
Virginia Woolf spoke of needing a “room of one’s own” in which to write. Her remarks were partly in response to a culture where intellectual work was not seen as women’s work, where women were given neither the physical nor abstract spaces in which to pursue their own thoughts. Thankfully, today these issues are less Read More…
Data transactions
We browse, therefore we’re data Chances are high you got here from a link on Facebook or Twitter. Or maybe you recently ordered a holiday gift from Amazon. If you’re like me, you use these social media platforms and web services with a hint of resign and possible distaste for the way your data is Read More…
Guest post & a survey!
Guest post I don’t know how to say this, but…I’ve been seeing other blogs!! Just kidding. I mean I’ve started writing on another blog, hosted by the University of Washington Genomics Salon. The Salon brings together a diverse group of students, post-docs, faculty, and community members to discuss issues relevant to science and society. I Read More…
Opening the Tomb
Terra cotta warriors During the last week in August, I attended a special exhibit of the Terra Cotta warriors at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center. The warriors are a touring collection of a tiny subset of the vast clay “army” buried over 2,000 years ago, encircling the tomb of China’s first emperor. While the clay soldiers Read More…
Examining the Intrinsic and Instrumental Value of Personal Genetic Data
“If there was an architect going through the neighborhood and they were drawing plans, I want a copy of the plans of my house…I am not going to build a house, I just want it.” The above quote is from a focus group participant in a research study conducted by some of my colleagues at the University Read More…
Do we “participate” in Facebook?
Lately I’ve been reading, discussing, and thinking about the concept of “participation.” It’s an idea that gets thrown around a lot but without too much examination or critique. Specifically, I am researching theories and frameworks of “participation” as it relates to my dissertation. The question I’m asking is: does giving people access to their own Read More…
I’m sorry, is that too personal?
Imagine a stranger approaches you on the street and demands to either (1) take a sample of your spit so they can sequence your DNA or (2) plug a device into your smartphone that will transfer over to them your last month of sleep and activity data. Which are you more likely to hand over? Read More…
“If I build it, I will come”
For my dissertation, I have been interviewing developers of third-party interpretation tools for consumer genomic data. These are tools such as Promethease, openSNP, and DNA.land, among many others, where people who have their genetic data file from consumer testing can seek further analysis and/or contribute their genome to research. Even though I’m only a few interviews Read More…