Shaundra Daily facts for kids

Shaundra Bryant Daily (born May 29, 1979) is an American professor and author. She is known for her work in human-centered computing. This field focuses on how people interact with computers. She also works to help more students get involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Dr. Daily is a professor at Duke University. She teaches in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science.

Early Life and Education

When Shaundra Daily was growing up, she loved math and science. She also enjoyed dancing and gymnastics. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, from Florida State University in 2001.

She then received her Master of Science degree from Florida A&M University in 2003. Later, she earned two more degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. She got her S.M. in 2005 and her Ph.D. in 2010. At the Media Lab, she studied how computers can understand human emotions. She also explored new ways of learning.

Career Highlights

After finishing her studies at MIT, Dr. Daily joined Clemson University. She became an assistant professor in the Human-Centered Computing Division. She was later promoted to associate professor. She also helped lead the division as a co-chair.

Teaching Programming Through Dance

At Clemson, Dr. Daily did exciting research. She used dance to teach computer programming. Students learned to create dances in a virtual world. They used a method called block programming. This research aimed to encourage more girls to study computer science and engineering. It helped to close the gender gap in these fields.

Work at Other Universities

In 2015, Dr. Daily moved to the University of Florida. She worked there as an associate professor. Later, she joined Duke University. At Duke, she is an associate professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

She also holds several important roles at Duke. She is the Faculty Director of the Duke Technology Scholars Program. She works to make education fair for everyone. She is also part of the Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Community Committee.

Featured in Media

Dr. Daily's achievements have been shared in many articles and shows. Her work on teaching programming with dance was featured in the news. She also appeared on the PBS web series The Secret Life Of Scientists And Engineers. On this show, she was featured alongside famous scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Honors and Awards

Dr. Daily has received many awards for her important work:

• 2023 Association for Computing Machinery Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award (with A. Nicki Washington)
• 2022 Black STEM Leader, recognized by Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina
• 2020 Undergraduate Mentor of the Year, Duke University
• 2015 Technology, Instruction, Cognition and Learning Early Career Research Award from the American Education Research Association
• 2015 Delta Alpha Pi, Extraordinary Educator Award for helping students with disabilities
• 2013 BDPA Most Promising Technologist Epsilon Award
• 2013 Diverse Issues and Higher Education, Emerging Scholar