Technology for Social Impact

HCI Seminar Series: hci.csail.mit.edu/hci-seminar.html
Speaker: Nicola Dell
Speaker Affiliation: Cornell Tech University

Host: Stefanie Mueller
Host Affiliation: MIT CSAIL

Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Time: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Refreshments Time: 12:45 PM

Location: Seminar Room G449 (Patil/Kiva)

Abstract:

The goal of my research is to design, build, deploy, and evaluate novel computing systems that improve the lives of underserved populations in low-income regions. As computing technologies become affordable and accessible to diverse populations across the globe, it is critical that we expand the focus of HCI research to study the social, technical, and infrastructural challenges faced by these diverse communities and build systems that address problems in critical domains such as health care and education. In this talk, I describe my general approach to building technologies for underserved communities, including identifying opportunities for technology, conducting formative research to fully understand the space, developing novel technologies, iteratively testing and deploying, evaluating with target populations, and handing off to global development organizations for long-term sustainability.

Bio:

Nicki Dell is an Assistant Professor in Information Science at Cornell Tech. Her research spans Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) with a focus on designing, building, and evaluating novel computing systems that improve the lives of underserved populations in low-income regions. Nicki’s research and outreach activities have been recognized through numerous paper awards and fellowships. Nicki was born and raised in Zimbabwe and received a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of East Anglia (UK) in 2004, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Washington in 2011 and 2015 respectively.

Relevant URL: www.nixdell.com
For more information please contact: Amy Xian Zhang, axz@csail.mit.edu