Tammy Sumner
About Tammy Sumner
Tammy Sumner is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she has worked since 1999. She specializes in natural language processing and machine learning to enhance personalized learning and has held various roles in education and technology.
Work at University of Colorado
Tammy Sumner has been an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado since 1999. In addition to her role as an Associate Professor, she serves as the Director of the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado Boulder since 2016. Her work focuses on the intersection of technology and education, particularly in the development of software tools that leverage natural language processing and machine learning to enhance personalized learning experiences.
Education and Expertise
Tammy Sumner holds multiple degrees in Computer Science and Earth Science. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and Bachelor of Science in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, between 1977 and 1985. She continued her education at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she obtained a Master of Science in Computer Science from 1990 to 1992, followed by a PhD in Computer Science from 1992 to 1995. Her expertise includes user-centered design, evaluation, and the development of interactive media aimed at improving educational outcomes.
Previous Experience in Education
Before her tenure at the University of Colorado, Tammy Sumner worked as the Executive Director of Digital Learning Sciences at Denver Public Schools from 2007 to 2009. In this role, she focused on integrating digital learning strategies within the educational framework. Additionally, she has experience as a Member of the Technical Staff at Hewlett-Packard from 1984 to 1989, where she contributed to various technology projects.
Research Contributions
Tammy Sumner leads research initiatives that aim to develop tools and services for managing open educational resource repositories. She has worked on projects such as the Digital Library for Earth System Education, which provides educational resources related to earth sciences, and the NSDL Science Literacy Maps project, which visualizes connections between scientific concepts. Her research emphasizes the importance of quality assessment in digital educational resources.