Beatriz Palacios Abad
Beatriz Palacios Abad, a computer science doctoral student in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing, won both a best paper award and impact recognition award at the 2024 ACM SIGCHI conference on computer-supported cooperative work and social computing (CSCW 2024) held in San José, Costa Rica, November 9-13, 2024.
The ACM SIGCHI best paper awards honor exceptional papers published at the conference. The impact recognition award is given for strong examples of work that demonstrates or has clear potential to demonstrate real-world or practical impact.
Her paper, “Mending the Fabric: the Contentious, Collaborative Work of Repairing Broadband Maps,” was co-authored by Elizabeth Belding at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Morgan Vigil-Hayes at Northern Arizona University, and Ellen Zegura, professor of computer science at Georgia Tech who also serves as Palacios Abad’s advisor.
Her research paper shows that the repair of broadband data maps in the U.S. involves a complex interplay between competition and collaboration among various stakeholders, mediated by the government. The process disproportionately burdens marginalized groups, who are often tasked with correcting the official records that misrepresent their communities. Accurate, repaired maps are crucial for guiding substantial investments in broadband infrastructure, emphasizing the need for better tools and support for long-term, community-driven efforts.
This study underscores the ongoing struggle for digital equity and the critical role of accurate data in shaping policy and infrastructure investments. The paper calls for a more inclusive approach to broadband map repair, recognizing the efforts and challenges faced by those working in digital inclusion.
CITATION: Beatriz Palacios Abad, Ellen Zegura, et. al. “Mending the Fabric: the Contentious, Collaborative Work of Repairing Broadband Maps” Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Vol. 8, CSCW2, Article 464 (November 2024). https://doi.org/10.1145/3687003
Explore the dynamic field of cybersecurity with alumni of Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy as they share their career journeys, industry insights, and advice for those interested in the cybersecurity sector. Moderated by Milton Mueller, professor and program director of the M.S. in Cybersecurity (Policy), this panel will cover the diverse opportunities within cybersecurity, the evolving challenges faced by professionals, and the skills needed to succeed in this high-demand field. A reception will follow the discussion.
Panelists:
Join us for a special seminar featuring Anna Abraham, E. Paul Torrance Professor in the department of Educational Psychology and director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at the University of Georgia, entitled "Understanding the Reality-Fiction distinction: The BLINCS Model."
Time: Nov 15, 2024 12:30 PM (ETC Time)
Location: Jesse W. Mason Building, Rm. 2117, 790 Atlantic Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332 or Zoom
Arts at Tech
Community Salon with Institute for People and Technology (IPaT)
-> Initiative Lead for Arts, Expression and Creative Technologies
Present:
Shaping Artistic Research at Tech
"A Conversation about existing creative research happening across campus and what we can do to strengthen the artistic community." Cocktail reception to follow. Register here >>
Amid shifting geopolitics and changing national priorities, American higher-education institutions are putting a special emphasis on conducting research securely. To that end, more than 100 leaders in academia and the federal government from across the U.S. met recently to discuss how to accomplish this important task. The inaugural Research Collaboration and Safeguards Workshop, held on September 19, 2024, took place at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Georgia Tech’s outgoing Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR), Chaouki Abdallah, opened the event, noting that global relationships are evolving rapidly, “both with our adversaries and our partners.” Accordingly, to protect U.S. national and economic security, how academic research is conducted must also evolve — in conjunction with federal agencies, industry, and other academic partners.
Speakers from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Defense (DoD) emphasized that these agencies want universities to have open and secure international collaborations. These partnerships are created by building trust, formalizing research security processes, and empowering research communities to make risk-informed decisions.
Sarah Stalker-Lehoux, NSF deputy chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy, described the present and future states of research security, particularly regarding international collaborations. She outlined the individual research security responsibilities for each entity involved in a partnership:
Bindu Nair, DoD director of Basic Research, highlighted the agency’s commitment to preserving open science, which includes international collaborations.
“The DoD has prioritized research security for the last 50-plus years, while maintaining high publication citations and patent counts. As research security has become a government-wide priority, the DoD has strategically led the conversation,” Nair noted. “Our participation in the Georgia Tech Research Collaboration and Safeguards Workshop was an effort to update the academic and research communities on the current rollout of new research security guidelines and policy.”
The workshop’s presenters emphasized that every person — and every entity — engaged in research is accountable for protecting U.S. interests.
After the event, Christopher King, interim vice president for Research at the University of Georgia, said that his faculty are telling him “that they want to work with mission-agency partners like the DoD, NSF, and the Department of Energy, and they want guidance on how to do this correctly and safely.”
King added, “A few schools — like Georgia Tech — are really outliers in how long they have been conducting research with federal partners that require substantial research security safeguards. A workshop like this brings institutions at every experience level into the conversation.”
To this end, Georgia Tech is actively building research partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Speakers from AAMU-RISE (Alabama A&M University in Huntsville) and Tougaloo College (Jackson, Mississippi) presented at the Research Collaborations and Safeguards Workshop.
In addition, more than 170 government, industry, national lab, and academic representatives attended a November 2023 Research Collaboration Forum, hosted by Georgia Tech’s Research Collaboration Initiative, to develop research partnerships with HBCUs.
Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech interim executive vice president for Research, closed the event by saying, “Research is most successful when it is collaborative. We want your research, and your research collaborations, to succeed and grow. We all have a shared responsibility to safeguard our research; to do this successfully, we must build partnerships in this arena as well. That is why all of us are here today — to move in this direction.”
The success of the initial Research Collaborations and Safeguards Workshop lays the groundwork for continued conversations in this critical area, and the Institute looks forward to welcoming these same partners — and new ones — to next year’s meeting.
Angela Ayers
Assistant Vice President of Research Communications
angela.ayers@research.gatech.edu
We invite you to join us for a hybrid town hall on Tuesday, November 19, from noon to 1:00 p.m., to discuss the search for the executive director of the new Space Research Institute (SRI). This event will be hosted both in-person at the atrium in the H.
Kait Morano is the resilience planning director for the Coastal Equity and Resilience Hub (CEAR Hub) and research scientist with Georgia Tech.
In a recent interview on The Weather Channel, Kait Morano, a research scientist from Georgia Tech, discussed disaster resilience and the strategies communities can adopt to withstand extreme weather events. The discussion was particularly focused on the aftermath of hurricanes and the opportunities for rebuilding that they present.
Understanding Resilience:
Morano emphasized that while events like Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, and other powerful storms cause widespread devastation, they also provide unique opportunities for transformative change. "Communities can take advantage of funding sources available after extreme events from the federal government, private equity firms, and philanthropic organizations to build back better," she said. “The key is having post-disaster redevelopment plans in place to seize these opportunities and build resilience against increasing storm frequency and severity.”
The Role of Zoning:
The conversation also touched on the controversial topic of zoning. Morano acknowledged that while zoning can be politically and publicly contentious, post-disaster scenarios create a window for necessary change. "Often, zoning ordinances inadvertently encourage development in high-risk areas," she explained. “Post-disaster periods allow communities to reassess these policies and potentially shift development to lower-risk areas, enhancing overall safety and resilience.”
Moving Forward:
Morano's insights highlight the need for proactive planning and policy reassessment to create safer, more resilient communities. As extreme weather events become more frequent, her expertise underscores the importance of seizing post-disaster opportunities to implement long-term, sustainable changes.
For communities looking to weather the storms of the future, the message is clear: resilience is not just about surviving the next storm, but about preparing and planning to thrive in the face of inevitable challenges according to Morano.
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Kait Morano is the resilience planning director for the Coastal Equity and Resilience Hub (CEAR Hub) and research scientist with Georgia Tech. CEAR Hub, a research project supported by Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology, is working with coastal communities to build a future informed by data, guided by strategy, and empowered by knowledge. Their work is organized around three core pillars: environmental sensors and decision support tools, community engagement and planning, and K-12 education and workforce development.
A portion of her interview with The Weather Channel on October 24, 2024 can be found here: https://fb.watch/vvk6ABVAe0/
Walter Rich
Speaker: Danielle S. Willkens, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, Georgia Tech
Abstract: How can we study and reveal the hidden, or repressed, histories within the built environment that illuminate a more complete and accurate record of our shared history? This talk will feature ongoing documentation, visualization, and historic interpretation work at modern civil rights sites in the southern U.S., and how expanded narratives can pave the way for a more resilient and inclusive future.
Meet Your Co-founder is a speed networking event for students to find co-founders. Do you have a startup idea but no teammates to build it with? Do you have skills you want to apply to a startup but don't have an idea? Come meet the co-founders you need to apply to Startup Launch!