Catherine Evelyn Starbird (born July 30, 1975) is an American computer scientist and former professional basketball player. Playing at the guard position, Starbird earned All-American honors as a high school athlete at Lakes High School in Lakewood, Washington and later at the collegiate level at Stanford. The 1997 Naismith College Player of the Year, Starbird helped Stanford make three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1995 to 1997 and scored 2,215 career points, a school record that stood for 11 years. From 1997 to 2006, Starbird played professional basketball in the American Basketball League, Women's National Basketball Association, and various European teams. Having been a computer science major at an undergraduate at Stanford, Starbird completed a doctorate in technology, media, and society at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2012. Later that year, she joined the faculty of the University of Washington. Her research focuses on disinformation and social media communication during disasters. Early life Catherine Evelyn Starbird was born July 30, 1975 in West Point, New York, to a military family. Her father Edward Starbird was a United States Army colonel, and her mother Margaret (née Leonard) was a teacher and author. Growing up in Tacoma, Washington, Starbird attended Lakes High School in nearby Lakewood. As a senior in 1993, Starbird made the Parade All-American first team and was the Kodak All-America MVP. She was also named Washington Player of the Year by Gatorade and USA Today. At the 1993 Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School All-America Game, she scored 12 points and earned MVP honors. College basketball career At Stanford University, Starbird played at guard for the Stanford Cardinal under coach Tara VanDerveer from 1993 to 1997 with NCAA tournament appearances every season, including the Final Four from 1995 to 1997. In her first season in 1993–94, Starbird averaged 9.9 points and 2.9 rebounds and made the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. Starbird had a breakout season in 1994–95 with 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists and was a first-team All-Pac-10 honoree. Averaging 20.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists as a junior in 1995–96, Starbird was the Pac-10's Co-Player of the Year and received multiple All-American honors, specifically first team honors from Kodak, Basketball America magazine, and the United States Basketball Writers Association and second team honors from the Associated Press and United Press International. On January 13, 1996, Starbird scored a career high 44 points against USC.