Modern Western epistemologies have long privileged the mind over the body, sight over touch, taste and smell, and cognition over feeling. This sensory hierarchy—rooted in Ancient Greek philosophy—casts so-called "lower" senses like smell, taste, and touch as primitive or bodily, often racializing and devaluing non-Western knowledge systems.

In recent decades, a turn toward embodied knowledge and material experience has begun to reshape scholarship, and researchers have increasingly asked: How do the senses shape meaning? How is knowledge produced through the body? What happens when we take touch, taste, smell, or spatial experience seriously as objects and methods of study?

Adventures in Data Science for Non-Stem Minds, a.k.a. Data Drama Group, is an interdepartmental working group dedicated to creating a collaborative and supportive space for graduate students engaged in research across the Humanities and Social Sciences. 

Our goal is to foster the exchange of ideas and knowledge,  and to provide peer support throughout the research process, from the design stages to the data collection and analysis processes, and ultimately, the dissemination of the work through writing and conference presentations.

During the academic year 2025-2026, I will serve as Public Relations Organizing Director (PROD) for the UC Davis Graduate Student Association (GSA). Together with a team of two other graduate students, I will lead engagement efforts, managing community events, volunteer programs, and communication initiatives, as well as coordinate with internal teams to amplify GSA visibility and student involvement. The most popular events organised by the Public Relations team are Coffee Bagel Donut Day, a pizza night, and a sandwich lunch.

During the 2024–2025 academic year, I served as the coordinator for Coffee Bagel Donut Day, an event hosted by the Graduate Student Association's Public Relations team. Each Friday, we welcomed an average of 300 graduate students with free coffee and their choice of a bagel or donut—including gluten-free and vegan options.

Before stepping into this role, I was a regular attendee myself, always looking forward to the sense of community the event created. As coordinator, I took on the (very) early morning logistics with enthusiasm, knowing each cup of coffee and sweet treat helped create a space of connection and support—something small, but genuinely meaningful, in the lives of busy graduate students.