Kate Starbird facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kate Starbird
Born	Catherine Evelyn Starbird (1975-07-30) July 30, 1975 (age 50) West Point, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Stanford University University of Colorado Boulder
Spouse(s)	Melissa Marsh ​ (m. 2008)​
Parent(s)	Margaret Leonard (mother)
Relatives	Alfred Starbird (grandfather) Charles Leonard (grandfather) George A. Dodd (great-great-grandfather)
Scientific career
Institutions	University of Washington (2012–present)
Thesis	Crowdwork, Crisis and Convergence: How the Connected Crowd Organizes Information during Mass Disruption Events (2012)
Doctoral advisor	Leysia Palen
Kate Starbird Personal information High school Lakes (Lakewood, Washington) Listed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Listed weight 153 lb (69 kg) Career information College Stanford (1993–1997) NBA Draft 1999 / Round: 3 / Pick: 26th overall Selected by the Sacramento Monarchs Pro career 1997–2006 Career history 1997–1998 Seattle Reign 1999 Sacramento Monarchs 2000–2002 Utah Starzz 2001–2002 Saint-Jacques Sport Reims 2002 Seattle Storm 2003–2005 Adecco Estudiantes Madrid 2004 Indiana Fever 2005–2006 PDV Ibiza Career highlights and awards Naismith College Player of the Year (1997) WBCA Player of the Year (1997) USBWA National Player of the Year (1997) 2x All-American – Kodak, USBWA (1996, 1997) First-team All-American – AP (1997) Second-team All-American – AP (1996) 2x Pac-10 Player of the Year (1996, 1997) 3x All Pac-10 (1995, 1996, 1997) First-team Parade All-American (1993) Career statistics Points 373 (3.3 ppg) Rebounds 121 (1.1 rpg) Assists 95 (0.8 apg) Medals Representing  United States World University Games Gold 1997 Marsala, Italy Team Competition

Catherine Evelyn Starbird (born July 30, 1975) is an American computer scientist. She was also a professional women's basketball player.

Kate Starbird played as a guard. She earned top honors in high school and college. At Stanford University, she was named the 1997 Naismith College Player of the Year. She helped Stanford reach the Final Four three times. She scored 2,215 points, a school record for many years. From 1997 to 2006, Starbird played professional basketball. She played in the American Basketball League, the Women's National Basketball Association, and for teams in Europe.

After her basketball career, Kate Starbird focused on her studies. She had studied computer science in college. In 2012, she earned her doctorate from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Later that year, she became a professor at the University of Washington. Her research looks at how people share information on social media during big events. She also studies how false information can spread online.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Catherine Evelyn Starbird was born on July 30, 1975. She was born in West Point, New York. Her family moved often because her father was in the United States Army. Her mother, Margaret Starbird, was a teacher and writer.

Kate grew up in Tacoma, Washington. She went to Lakes High School in nearby Lakewood. In 1993, as a senior, she was a top high school basketball player. Parade magazine named her to their All-American first team. She was also the MVP (Most Valuable Player) for Kodak All-America. Gatorade and USA Today named her Washington Player of the Year. She scored 12 points and was MVP at the 1993 Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School All-America Game.

College Basketball Career

Kate Starbird played basketball at Stanford University. She was a guard for the Stanford Cardinal. Her coach was Tara VanDerveer. From 1993 to 1997, her team played in the NCAA tournament every year. They reached the Final Four from 1995 to 1997.

In her first year (1993–94), Starbird scored about 9.9 points per game. She was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. In her second year (1994–95), she improved a lot. She averaged 16.0 points and 4.0 assists. She was named first-team All-Pac-10.

As a junior in 1995–96, she averaged 20.1 points. She was named Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year. She also received many All-American honors. On January 13, 1996, she scored a career-high 44 points against USC.

In her senior year (1996–97), Starbird averaged 20.9 points. She was a first-team Associated Press All-American. She also won the Naismith College Player of the Year award. This is one of the highest honors in college basketball.

When she graduated, Starbird had scored 2,215 career points. This was a school record for 11 years. Candice Wiggins broke her record in 2008. Kate Starbird earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Stanford in 1997.

Professional Basketball Career

After college, Kate Starbird was chosen in the 1997 ABL draft. The Seattle Reign picked her fourth overall. She played two seasons with the Reign. She averaged 12.9 points per game. The ABL league closed down in late 1998.

In 1999, the Sacramento Monarchs picked Starbird in the WNBA draft. She played 24 games for the Monarchs. In 2000, she was traded to the Utah Starzz. She played for the Starzz until 2002. During the WNBA offseasons, she also played basketball in Europe. She played in France and Austria.

In 2002, Starbird was traded to the Seattle Storm. With the Storm, she averaged a career-high 5.9 points per game. The Storm released her before the 2003 season. In 2003–04, she played for a Spanish team, Adecco Estudiantes Madrid. She averaged 18.7 points there. Her final year in the WNBA was with the Indiana Fever in 2004. After that, she played for other European teams until 2006.

Academic Career and Research

Kate Starbird received a special scholarship in 2009. She studied at the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2012, she earned her Ph.D. in technology, media, and society. Her research looked at how people share information during big events.

In September 2012, she became a professor at the University of Washington. She works in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering. She leads a lab called the Emerging Capacities of Mass Participation (emCOMP) lab. In 2019, she became an associate professor.

Her research combines computer science and social science. She studies how people use social media during emergencies. She also looks at how false information, or "disinformation," spreads online. She studies how online groups work together to sort through information. Her work helps us understand how people share and shape information during major events.

Personal Life

Kate Starbird's family has a history of athletic achievement. Her grandfather, Alfred Dodd Starbird, was an Olympic athlete. He was also an Army general during World War II. Her other grandfather, Charles Leonard, won an Olympic silver medal. He was the first Olympian to get a perfect score in pistol shooting. Her great-great-grandfather, George A. Dodd, was an Army officer.

Besides basketball, Kate Starbird has also played Gaelic football. In 2007, she managed the Seattle Gaels women's Gaelic football team.