AI, Ethics and Astronomy: Tyler Millhouse, Assistant Professor of Practice

Take advantage of any time you can get with your professors. The faculty are eager to help students who take the initiative to get in touch and who make time to talk about the class.

  
Dr. Tyler Millhouse joined the College of Information Science in 2023 after a post-doctoral fellowship at the Santa Fe Institute, which he held following the completion of his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Arizona. Millhouse specializes in the philosophy of science, with an emphasis on the philosophy of data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

What brought you to the College of Information Science as assistant professor of practice.

I took courses in the college when I was completing my PhD, and I had a fantastic experience. I was finishing a post-doctoral position when I saw the job ad, and I had to apply.

What InfoSci courses do you teach, and what do you most enjoy about teaching?

Artificial Intelligence and Data Ethics. I love introducing people to AI and ethics, and both classes help students who are diving into these topics for the first time.

How do you engage with students to foster their academic and professional growth in the classroom?

For AI, I like to use interactive visualizations to illustrate AI concepts, and I am working with two graduate students to develop new visualizations. For ethics, I am focused on making ethics approachable for people with more technical backgrounds, by focusing on relevant topics and the latest news, and by making myself available for extra discussion sessions and one-on-one mentoring.

Tell us about your community work.

I am a member of the local astronomy club, and I have participated in several outreach events for the college. For example, our Information on Tap series:

 
Beyond teaching and your involvement in the community, what are your passions?

Cooking, astronomy, film and making—especially 3D printing, electronics and woodworking.

What advice do you have for prospective or current InfoSci students? 

Take advantage of any time you can get with your professors. The faculty are eager to help students who take the initiative to get in touch and who make time to talk about the class. 

What does the InfoSci experience mean to you?

Reasonable class sizes, close engagement with faculty and a focus on practically applying information-related concepts.
 

Learn more about Tyler Millhouse on his faculty page, or explore ways you can support the dynamic, student-invested faculty of the College of Information Science.