Jess Turner

Hello! My name is Jess. I’m a first-year PhD student at the HCII. My research focuses on the intersection of accessibility, equity, and education. I am a Meyerhoff Scholar (32nd cohort), Phi Kappa Phi scholar and I earned my B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

I’m passionate about helping people of all ages learn about technology as well as helping learners build systems that are inspiring to them. This summer, I worked with Dr. Amy Ogan to better understand summer campers experiences in open ended, culturally responsive computing activities, such as designing robots to dance and strut on a robot runway. During undergraduate school, I worked as an introductory computer science teaching assistant (TA) for 3 years, one and a half of which I was honored to serve as head TA. I am also a volunteer alumni mentor with the IMAGE center in Maryland. I advise and encourage undergraduate students through their senior accessibility engineering capstones which are just like my senior year team’s motorized swing for equitable play.

If you’re interested in collaborating or talking about shared interests, please don’t hesitate to reach out!