Kyla Cook

Role: Instructional Designer, AAALab Organization: Stanford Graduate School of Education / AAALab Email: [TBD] Slack: kdcook Bio: https://aaalab.stanford.edu/about-us/kyla-cook/index.html Relationship Depth: Active Collaborator

---

Background

• B.A. Chemistry, UC Berkeley
• M.A. Teaching, Johns Hopkins
• Former middle school math teacher in Baltimore City
• Museum educator at the Field Museum (Chicago)
• Curriculum developer at UC Berkeley for Amplify Science

Creates curricular materials for AAALab research, with a focus on emerging technologies and digital tools in instruction.

---

Context

Virtual Field Trips: Leading a potential VFT collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences. Cal Academy plans to shoot test 360° photos in their giant aquarium (timeline: a couple weeks from late April 2026).

Works alongside Rachel Wolf and Kristen Pilner Blair in AAALab.

Research focus: STEM education, bridging formal and informal learning settings, classroom integration of new tech.

---

Interactions

Date	Context	Notes
Apr 23, 2026	Slack request (with Rachel Wolf)	Co-requested viewer-only Photosphere app for Cal Academy 360° aquarium photos. Built same day → psviewer.web.app. See projects/quick-builds/psviewer.md.

---

Notes

• Museum-educator background (Field Museum) likely informs the Cal Academy partnership instinct
• Concerned with Cal Academy’s IP/sharing comfort — drove the request for a Stanford-hosted viewer (no third-party ToS)
• Curriculum/instructional-design lens means she may be a useful sounding board for Flash Lab and Build-a-Bot facilitator materials