Q&A: Researcher discusses the importance of visualizing undersea fiber-optic cables

The internet is kind of like drinking water, says UC Berkeley Professor Nicole Starosielski. Most of us don't think much about how it's delivered to our houses or wherever we need it, until we can't get it.

But Starosielski, who joined the UC Berkeley Department of Film and Media in the fall, thinks about it all the time. And she's made it a priority to help people learn about and visualize the internet—a communication system that has become essential to our everyday lives.

Unlike drinking water, she says, "the internet transforms our experience of space and time. So many people depend on it, and we need to know about how it works."

Berkeley News talked with Starosielski ...