Fall 2012

Pearce puts down roots in Northwest to teach mobile communication

By Erica Thompson -

Katy Pearce, assistant professor, joins the University of Washington Department of Communication team, teaching mobile communication to both undergraduate and master’s students in the Master of Communication in Digital Media (MCDM) program.

One could say it was either fluke or fate that a class her freshman year of college led her to pursue her current research.

Pearce grew up in Michigan and attended the University of Michigan. In her first year there, her projected path quickly changed.

“When I was a freshman I wanted to take a class and it was full so I took another class and it happened to be in Armenian history,” Pearce said. “I’m not Armenian, it was just random.”

And that’s where it all started.

Pearce went on an intensive language learning study abroad trip in Armenia the following summer and ended up graduating with a double major in Armenian Studies and American Culture, minoring in Soviet Studies.

After graduation Pearce took a job in Azerbaijan setting up computer labs and schools.

“I was always really interested in computers and had worked for the computer labs when I was an undergrad,” Pearce said. “So that was really fun and what really sparked my interest in studying technology in that part of the world.”

Although she has a sister living in Portland, Pearce had only been to Seattle once before coming for her interview. However, she was drawn to the Communication program.

“The Department is full of really great people who are both good scholars, but also really nice people, so that’s really great,” Pearce said. “There are a number of people in the Department that do work that’s overlapping in some way with mine and the people who I don’t have overlaps with I really respect their work.”

Pearce’s classes look at the social impacts of mobile communication. For instance, the impact mobile phones have on relationships, families and work places, and more broadly, on society and the world. Her research focus is on technology use in the former Soviet Union.

The opportunities at UW are relevant to both her teaching and research aspirations.

“I’m most looking forward to seeing how ideas and projects I was already working on are going to take different directions based on potential collaborations here,” Pearce said. “I’m really excited about that and also working with really great, motivated students.”