The interconnectedness of seemingly disparate things with Laura Langdon

08/22/23 • 56 min

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It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. But for today's guest, it's about both. Laura Langdon is a developer advocate who has the pleasure of combining her explorations and experience in theatre, computer science, mathematics, education, and data science into a role that rolls all of that into one perfect package. Join us as we speak of about Laura's experience in education, and the beauty of the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate things.

About Laura Langdon

Laura Langdon is a Developer Advocate at Suborbital Software Systems, where she manages documentation and participates in outreach activities, especially around the intersections data science, Python, and extensibility. Previously a math lecturer at CSU East Bay, Laura is devoted to issues in pedagogy, neurodivergence, and social responsibility in tech. In her free time, she enjoys recreational research, optimising all the things, and not trying to think of a third thing with which to end this sentence.

Show Notes (link)

[00:00:53] Laura opting out of high school and going through community college instead.

[00:04:33] Why college was a better fit for Laura.

[00:07:04] The path of human experience.

[00:11:48] Coming to settle her explorations with mathematics.

[00:14:00] Laura's epiphany with mathematics.

[00:17:35] Practical considerations when it comes to choosing your path.

[00:22:59] The beauty of pure mathematics that we miss out on at school.

[00:23:31] Sometimes material is hard. But sometimes it's hard because people have different modes of learning.

[00:25:25] Resources can be crutches. What do you want to get out of this?

[00:26:31] Speak to course advisors and coordinators. There may be options you weren't aware of.

[00:29:25] Why homeschooling.

[00:32:20] The Montessori method

[00:36:12] AI, Reinforcement Learning, and DeepMind.

[00:38:20] Finding her way to technical writing.

[00:43:48] Ethics, algorithms, and society.

[00:47:39] A day in the life of developer relations.

[00:49:01] Bringing all those accumulated skills together.

[00:51:15] What advice would you give someone who wants to do what you do? And what advice should they ignore?

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Music is "Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935" by Brett Van Donsel.

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About Laura Langdon

Show Notes (link)

[00:00:53] Laura opting out of high school and going through community college instead.

[00:04:33] Why college was a better fit for Laura.

[00:07:04] The path of human experience.

[00:11:48] Coming to settle her explorations with mathematics.

[00:14:00] Laura's epiphany with mathematics.

[00:17:35] Practical considerations when it comes to choosing your path.

[00:22:59] The beauty of pure mathematics that we miss out on at school.

[00:23:31] Sometimes material is hard. But sometimes it's hard because people have different modes of learning.

[00:25:25] Resources can be crutches. What do you want to get out of this?

[00:26:31] Speak to course advisors and coordinators. There may be options you weren't aware of.

[00:29:25] Why homeschooling.

[00:32:20] The Montessori method

[00:36:12] AI, Reinforcement Learning, and DeepMind.

[00:38:20] Finding her way to technical writing.

[00:43:48] Ethics, algorithms, and society.

[00:47:39] A day in the life of developer relations.

[00:49:01] Bringing all those accumulated skills together.

[00:51:15] What advice would you give someone who wants to do what you do? And what advice should they ignore?

Connect with STEAM Powered

Hosted and produced by Michele Ong.

Music is "Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935" by Brett Van Donsel.

Previous Episode

Bringing compassion back to technology with April Wensel

1 Recommendations

We could all do with a little bit more compassion in our lives, and April Wensel is making sure that we can bring it to our work as well. April Wensel is the founder of Compassionate Coding, helping companies and tech professionals communicate more and effectively so that we can be better at what we do better to each other and better to ourselves.

Join us as we speak about April's journey through technology, finding purpose with compassionate coding, and putting the humanity back into technology.

About April Wensel

April Wensel is an international keynote speaker and the founder of Compassionate Coding, a conscious business that provides communication skills training to technology professionals. Prior to starting Compassionate Coding, she spent a decade as a software engineer and technical leader at various startups in Silicon Valley, building products in such fields as healthcare, gaming, education, and user research. Away from the keyboard, she enjoys gleaning fruit, running ultramarathons, and experimenting with vegan recipes.

Show Notes (link)

[00:01:09] Studying Computer Science at a liberal arts college.

[00:02:54] Where April saw her future in computing.

[00:03:46] The path to Compassionate Coding.

[00:08:54] Teaching emotional intelligence to tech.

[00:10:35] Relating to the need to develop emotional intelligence from her own experiences.

[00:13:28] When you faced with a culture that has to change.

[00:15:41] Reflecting on how April's liberal arts background informs her work now.

[00:17:12] April's observations in the course of her work.

[00:18:42] The two sides of compassion.

[00:19:44] Feedback as a compassionate skill.

[00:21:28] April's reflections on her own journey with emotion intelligence.

[00:23:03] April's personal journey approaching burnout and the impetus for change towards compassion.

[00:25:02] The rate of burnout in these fields and how compassion can help.

[00:27:36] The shift towards compassion in other technical fields.

[00:30:20] Which childhood book holds the strongest memories for you?

[00:31:56] What advice would you like to give someone who'd like to do what you do, and what advice should they ignore?

Connect with STEAM Powered

Hosted and produced by Michele Ong.

Music is "Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935" by Brett Van Donsel.

Next Episode

Systems thinking and the future of architecture with Evelyn Lee

1 Recommendations

Architecture has always struck me as a multidisciplinary field. It draws knowledge from all areas of STEMM into creating the spaces in which we live and work. But that's not always how this profession is perceived and this reflects in the way the industry has and needs to evolve.

Evelyn Lee is Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation at Slack Technologies, and Founder of Practice of Architecture. Join us as we speak about the Evelyn's journey through architecture and tech, the future of architecture, and systems thinking in physical and organisational environments.

About Evelyn Lee

Evelyn Lee, FAIA, is the first-ever Global Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation at Slack Technologies, Founder of the Practice of Architecture, and Co-Host of the Podcast, Practice Disrupted. Lee integrates her business and architecture background with a qualitative and quantitative focus to build better experiences for the organisation's employees, clients, and guests.

She is widely published, wrote a monthly column for Contract magazine for over three years, and is now a frequent contributor to Architect Magazine. Evelyn has received numerous industry awards, including 2016 40 Under 40 award for Building Design + Construction and the 2014 AIA National Young Architects Award. She recently served as the first-ever female Treasurer to the AIA National Board in 2020-2021.

Show Notes (link)

[00:01:07] What drew Evelyn to architecture?

[00:03:46] How Evelyn envisaged a career in architecture.

[00:06:24] What does the average career in architecture look like?

[00:09:40] Attrition in the architecture industry.

[00:12:07] The need for business education as part of architecture programs.

[00:15:37] The culture of the industry. Having to earn your way before you are welcome.

[00:17:23] The sense of prestige of the profession vs the tangible value that architects offer.

[00:19:07] What can we change that will provide more value to the industry?

[00:21:48] The innovations in the architecture space.

[00:23:57] Evolving the role of firms and the client experience.

[00:26:08] Evelyn's architecture journey and the desire to stay involved with the architecture industry.