Beck Tench is a Ph.D. student at the iSchool.

When you meet someone who doesn’t know about your research, how do you describe it?

I study how to design public space and technology that facilitates contemplative experience.

Who is the faculty member working closest with you? What are you learning from them?

I am working closely with Dr. David Levy. I am learning how to be a better researcher, teacher, writer, and friend through our work together. We often talk about ethics and what it means to live well. We reflect on the nature of contemplation and the role contemplative practice plays in our own lives and our research. We discuss critical and existential concerns regarding technology and its role in the attention economy, the evolving nature of work, and busyness. We work together and with other faculty, staff, and students to imagine and create a healthier and more compassionate university.

Why are you interested in this subject?

Before I came to graduate school, I worked in science museums and I designed experiences and exhibits that aimed to get people to slow down and notice the world around them. My PhD work, in many ways, has been a deep dive into this pursuit. Through my work at UW, I am able to better understand the system that operates around our busyness, constant performance, and instinct to reach for our phones. I'm also able to explore what happens to us and those around us when we manage to slow down, and how to design environments and technology that help create such moments.

What impact do you hope to make in the information field through your research/dissertation?

I hope my research helps people have more agency over their attention and information behavior. I also hope to co-create restorative spaces in libraries with librarians and their communities.

What surprised you the most when digging into your research?

As a former designer, I am a process-oriented person. One thing that surprised me was how challenging it can be to manage the research process — finding what to read, choosing what technology to read it with so that highlights and annotations are preserved, documenting what I've learned, referencing and writing about it in the future.

What are your career goals once you graduate?

I may be bit of an outlier, but I'm not focused on that right now. I had a fulfilling career before I entered the program, and I imagine I'll take this experience and fold it into a fruitful next chapter. For now, I am 100% occupied in the pursuit of being a student and learning. It's an amazing opportunity and I don't want to miss out on a minute of it.

Visit Beck's website and follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.