This month’s featured student is psychology and computer science major Ashwini Kumble.
UWPsych: What are your post-graduate plans?
Kumble: After undergrad, I plan to pursue a PhD where I can explore how people reason about visual information and how we communicate through visualizations. I’m especially interested in combining behavioral methods from psychology with computational modeling techniques to investigate my questions and build tools that better support human reasoning processes. My psychology training, alongside my computer science major, has given me a strong foundation to pursue my goals, and I hope to build on this interdisciplinary background to conduct research that bridges human cognition and machine learning!
UWPsych: What is a favorite psychology class you have taken?
Kumble: It’s hard to choose – I’ve had so many great experiences! One favorite is Psych 406 (Psychology of Perception) with Professor Karen Schloss. In that class, we had the opportunity to understand perception through a virtual reality “brain tour,” tracing how sensory information is processed through different brain regions. It was such an immersive and creative way to learn, and it actually inspired me to join her lab. And working in the Visual Reasoning Lab motivated me to declare honors in psychology and pursue my senior thesis under her mentorship!
Another favorite is Psych 414 (Cognitive Psychology) with Professor Joe Austerweil. I loved both the course content and the honors discussions, and that led me to take his graduate-level Computational Cognitive Science course – that class helped me explore the exciting intersection of psychology and computer science that I now hope to pursue in graduate school!
UWPsych: How do you spend your time outside of school?
Kumble: Outside of school, I work as Lead Tutor at the Math Learning Center within the Department of Mathematics, where I tutor students in pre-calc and calculus. I also help with professional development activities and mentor fellow tutors, which has been a really cool way to grow as both an educator and a leader. I’m also a peer mentor at the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) learning community, where I guide and support younger women in STEM, helping them navigate academics, research opportunities, and community life. Additionally, I served as President of the Honors Student Organization, the official student org for the L&S Honors Program, where I led initiatives supporting the honors student community through social, service, and academic events. And in my free time, I enjoy painting, writing poetry, and watching movies/sitcoms!
SHOUT-OUT: A huge shout-out to my research mentor, Dr. Karen Schloss, whose mentorship has shaped both my academic interests and my confidence as a researcher. Through her lab, I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in outreach events like the Wisconsin Science Festival where I conducted hands-on science activities for kids – one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at UW–Madison!