Giving Order to the Chaos: Sarah Young, Lecturer

The work of quantum networks is especially challenging because it’s an emerging field that needs more information organization, but that is also the fun part—to give order to the chaos.

 
With a background in federal investigations and a passion for exploring the social-technical nexus, Lecturer Sarah Young says the College of Information Science is “the perfect place”—a community where students can dig into cutting-edge research and the societal dimensions that shape it. Read more about Dr. Young’s path, perspective and advice for InfoSci students in this faculty profile.

What brought you to the College of Information Science?

I was in Phoenix working as an investigator doing federal background investigations for about 12 years, but I had recently quit that job to work full-time to finish up my PhD at Arizona State University. I had been looking at the then-School of Information because I loved its focus on the social and the technical, and then the school advertised for a postdoc focused on surveillance, which is my specialty. I applied, but I didn’t get the job. However, I started teaching a section of Digital Crime and Social Media and each semester started taking on more courses. That’s how I got here today!

What is your current research, and what most excites you about this research?

I started as a fellow with the Center for Quantum Networks (CQN) in 2021, and since then, I have focused mostly on the sociotechnical dimensions of quantum technologies, looking not only at their development but also on how we organize and discuss their development across disciplinary and international borders and in relation to other emerging technologies like AI. The College of Information Science is the perfect place for this research because not only is it poised to engage with developments in quantum information science, but the college also allows students the time and space to engage in conversations about its societal dimensions instead of encouraging a limited and narrow technical focus. It is really exciting for me to explore a more technical topic and work with quantum science professionals to explain to non-technical experts and the public how quantum science and technology will impact our lives. This work is especially challenging because it’s an emerging field that needs more information organization, but that is also the fun part—to give order to the chaos.

It also helped me travel to the Netherlands to do research there, and I really love the international, interdisciplinary nature of the work. Specifically, I was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND Fellowship for two years where I worked with the Dutch national police and European quantum technology experts. It was great to see how large international grants work in terms of proposals, collaboration and deliverables.

Are you still doing investigative work?

I think my investigator days are past me now, but I had to write so many reports while I was there, I still feel incomplete today if I don’t have multiple writing projects going on at the same time. It’s fun space to devote my energy, figure out how to organize information, and collaborate with other people.

How do you support your quantum science research in the community?

I volunteer with SparCQS (Sparking Curiosity in Quantum Science) as much as I can. It is a really cool project started by Inès Montaño out of Northern Arizona University and partners with the CQN. Her group goes to schools and attends STEM events around the Southwest teaching participants about quantum science. I’ve been involved in their work at elementary schools, high schools, colleges, the Super Bowl, the Barrett-Jackson car show and most recently the grand opening of a quantum collaboration in Denver. It’s a really good space, and I always leave feeling energized and hopeful about the future.
  

My favorite part of teaching is getting to hear students’ personal stories that help me connect their past to their future.

What are you teaching this semester, and what do you most enjoy about teaching?

I’m currently teaching ISTA 100: Great Ideas for the Information Age, ISTA 161: Digital Ethics and GAME 251: Game Design, but I’ve also taught Digital Storytelling and Culture, Theories of New Media, Digital Discourse and Identity, Digital Crime and Social Media, and Surveillance and Social Media. My favorite part of teaching is getting to hear students’ personal stories that help me connect their past to their future. It is so cool to hear a person’s trajectory and strategize how I can help them get from where they were to where they want to be. We’re all on this planet for such a short time, and I feel lucky to get to cross paths with the students I meet.

How do you bring your research into your teaching?

I once had a professor tell me that if I don’t hate the piece that I’m writing by the time I finish it, then I haven’t learned anything. His point was that one’s perspective changes so much as you learn, so, if you do research “right,” you will always end up in a different place than you started. 

I think of this in terms of both my research and my teaching. I am almost always teaching, researching and writing about something, and with everything I write, and every class I teach, my perspective changes a bit through what I read or how the students engage with what I’ve scaffolded. Thus, I always find myself constantly trying to update my content with the new things that I read or with the cool things students share.

How else do you engage with students to foster their academic and professional growth?

I wrote so many reports in my previous career that I really want my students to understand the different genres they may come across. I also want them to know that even if they have really cool ideas, the actual presentation of their thoughts matters. With every project, I really like them to practice at least once designing a good-looking report that not only textually represents their ideas well but visually draws the reader in. I also try to share my personal experiences and get guest speakers to share their day-to-day working realities.

What are your passions outside of the classroom?

I really like writing, running and being outdoors. I tend to have a lot of energy that leads to overthink everything if I am not active enough, so forcing myself away from my computer to go outside and run as hard as I can (which is still slow) really helps my brain slow down and makes my writing better.

What does the "InfoSci experience" mean to you?

The InfoSci experience to me is an amazing space where technology meets social science and students are encouraged to not just to design and work with different technologies but also think about their social impact and responsible futures.

What advice do you have for InfoSci students?

My advice to students is twofold. In a practical sense, register for your classes early. It can be an anxious journey on the waiting list! In a more reflective sense, find the area that brings you joy, and it is okay to let go of the things that don’t. There are so many spaces in InfoSci to explore, so you will find your way!
 

Learn more about Sarah Young on her faculty page, or explore ways you can support the dynamic, student-invested faculty of the College of Information Science.