Award Winners

Travel Grant Recipients

Click here to apply for a Travel Grant in 2020

All MS-HCI students have the opportunity to apply for a $500 travel grant, funded by the university, to help provide for transportation, accommodation, and registration fees associated with various HCI related conferences and events around the world (with preference given to students presenting work at the conferences). Over 60 Travel Grants were awarded to students in 2014-2019, the most recent awards are listed below:

2019 Recipients
  • Nikhila Nyapathy
    Conference: CSCW, Austin, Texas, 11/11/2019 - 11/14/2019 Presenting a poster 'Tracking and Reporting Asthma Data for Children'
  • Joseph McCandless
    Conference: AIAA Scitech Forum and Exposition, Orlando, Florida, 01/05/2020 - 01/07/2020 Co-author of a paper that is being presented, "Pilot Cueing for Rotorcraft Shipboard Landings"
  • Titilayo Funso
    Conference: AfroTech, Oakland, California, 11/07/2019 - 11/10/2019 Conference Attendee
  • Shubhangi Gupta
    Conference: CHI Play, Barcelona, Spain, 10/21/19 - 10/26/2019 Presenting a research poster and demo
  • Nia Lindsey
    Conference: Adobe MAX, LosAngeles, USA, 11/04/19 - 11/07/2019 Conference Attendee
  • Xiaomeng Ma
    Conference: SIGGRAPH, LosAngeles, USA, 07/28/19 - 08/01/2019 Submitting a poster to SIGGRAPH for the student research competition and potentially presenting to a panel.
  • Rishma Mendhekar
    Conference: Gender, Bodies, and Technology, Virginia Tech, USA, 04/07/19 - 04/25/2019 Presenting Project: Presenting research with three professors from Connecticut College's department of Computer Science, Gender and Women's Studies, and Dance Department
  • Isabel Newsome
    Conference: DMD-Design of Medical Devices, Minneapolis, USA, 04/15/19 - 04/19/2019 Presenting project at the conference (poster and presentation)
  • Yanfeng Jin
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Xi Chen
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Soumya Pachigolla
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Matthew Golino
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Swar Gujrania
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Savanthi Murthy
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Tanuja Sunil Sawant
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Sijia Xiao
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Emma Logevall
    Conference: CHI 2019, Glasgow, UK, 05/04/19 - 05/09/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Anusha Vasudeva
    Conference: ACM IUI 2019, Los Angeles, USA, 03/16/2019 - 03/20/2019
    Conference Attendee
  • Josiah Mangiameli
    Conference: ICTDx 2019, Ahmedabad, 01/01/2019-01/09/2019
    Student Volunteer and Co-Author of informal paper
2018 Recipients
  • Joshua Crisp
    Conference: CHI Play 2018, Melbourne, Australia, 10/26/18 - 11/01/18
    Paper Presentation: Developing a Platform for Community- curated Mixed Reality Play Spaces
  • Phillip Eric Thompson
    Conference: CSCW, Jersey City, New Jersey, 11/02/18 - 11/07/18
    Presenting Project: Ferro-oobleck Organic User Interface
  • Melissa Baltrusaitis
    Conference: IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, 3/02/19 - 3/09/19
    Project Presentation: Presenting research for the development of a mixed-initiative plan management system for human space flight
  • Sijia Xiao
    Conference: CHI 2018, Montréal Canada, 4/22/18 - 4/26/18
    Paper Presentation: ConsensUs: Supporting Multi-Criteria Group Decisions by Visualizing Points of Disagreement/li>
  • Kristin Hare
    Conference: CHI 2018, Montréal Canada, 4/22/18 - 4/26/18
    Paper Presentation: REFUGE Tech: An Assets-Based Approach to Refugee Resettlement
  • Kriti Nelavelli
    Conference: CHI 2018, Montréal Canada, 4/22/18 - 4/26/18
    Paper Presentation: ICTD (Tech and Poverty)
  • Azalea Irani
    Conference: CHI 2018, Montréal Canada, 4/22/18 - 4/26/18
    Paper Presentation: REFUGE Tech: An Assets-Based Approach to Refugee Resettlement
  • Laurane Saliou
    Conference: CHI 2018, Montréal Canada, 4/22/18 - 4/26/18
    Student Volunteer
  • Akansha Gupta
    Conference: ConveyUX, Seattle WA, 2/26/18 - 3/4/18
    Student Volunteer
2017 Recipients
  • Nishant Panchal
    Conference: Future of Storytelling, Staten Island NY, 10/3/17 - 10/8/17
    Student Volunteer
  • Diego Osorio
    Conference: Future of Storytelling, Staten Island NY, 10/3/17 - 10/8/17
    Student Volunteer
  • Hope Idaewor
    Conference: Future of Storytelling, Staten Island NY, 10/5/17 - 10/8/17
    Student Volunteer
  • Lindsay Kelly
    Conference: Future of Storytelling, Staten Island NY, 10/5/17 - 10/8/17
    Student Volunteer
  • Noah Posner
    Conference: UbiComp 2017, Maui Hawaii, 9/11/17 - 9/15/17
    Demo Presentation: "The Light Orchard: An Immersive Display Platform for Collaborative Tangible Interaction"
  • James Hallam
    Conference: UbiComp 2017, Maui Hawaii, 9/11/17 - 9/15/17
    Demo Presentation: "The Light Orchard: An Immersive Display Platform for Collaborative Tangible Interaction"
  • Anandghan Waghmare
    Conference: UbiComp 2017, Maui Hawaii, 9/11/17 - 9/15/17
    Paper Presentation: "Soundtrak: Continuous 3D tracking of a finger using active acoustics"
  • Yiran Ma
    Conference: CHI 2017, Denver CO, 5/6/17 - 5/12/17
    Student Volunteer
  • Sumeet Jain
    Conference: Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT), Maui Hawaii, 9/11/17 - 9/15/17
    Paper Presentation: "Soundtrak: Continuous 3D tracking of a finger using active acoustics"
  • Samuel Weiller
    Conference: Civic Hack - Building the First Police Accountability Platform, San Francisco CA, 3/30/17 - 4/4/17
    Conference Participant
  • Rachel LeRoy
    Conference: Civic Hack - Building the First Police Accountability Platform, San Francisco CA, 3/30/17 - 4/4/17
    Conference Participant
  • Aditi Dhar
    Conference: 2017 UXDC Conference, Washington D.C., 4/13/17 - 4/17/17
    Conference Participant
  • Sahib Singh
    Conference: O'Reilly Design Conference, San Francisco CA, 3/19/17 - 3/22/17
    Conference Participant
  • Ho Ryun Song
    Conference: Designing Interactive Systems 2017, Edinburgh UK, 6/11/17 - 6/14/17
    Paper Presentation
  • Geunbae Lee
    Conference: Digital Summit, Seattle WA, 3/26/17 - 3/28/17
    Student Volenteer
  • Mandy Chu
    Conference: 2017 UXDC Conference, Washington D.C., 4/13/17 - 4/17/17
    Conference Participant
  • Akansha Gupta
    Conference: O'Reilly Design Conference, San Francisco CA, 3/19/17 - 3/22/17
    Conference Participant
  • Lorina Navarro
    Conference: Tapestry Conference, St. Augustine FL, 2/28/17 - 3/2/17
    Data Visualization
  • Yiran Ma
    Conference: HCI International 2017, Vancouver Canada, 7/9/17 - 7/14/17
    Paper Presentation
  • Shuli Liu
    Conference: IEEE Pacific Visualization Symposium, Seoul Korea, 4/17/17 - 4/23/17
    Student Volunteer
  • Bradlyn Walker
    Conference: Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, 2/26/17 - 3/4/17
    Glitch Powerleveling Program
  • Vedant Swain
    Conference: CHI 2017, Denver, 5/5/17 - 5/11/17
    Student Volunteer
  • Steve Jones
    Conference: CHI 2017, Denver, 5/5/17 - 5/11/17
    Student Volnteer
  • Yunnuo Cheng
    Conference: CHI 2017, Denver, 5/5/17 - 5/11/17
    Paper Presentation
  • Karan Pratap Singh
    Conference: IEEE VR Conference, Los Angeles, 3/18/17 - 3/25/17
    Poster: Design of Impossible Spaces for Locomotion in Room-Scale VR Narratives
  • Amit Garg
    Conference: IEEE VR Conference, Los Angeles, 3/18/17 - 3/25/17
    Poster: Design of Impossible Spaces for Locomotion in Room-Scale VR Narratives
  • Meeshu Agnihotri
    Conference: ACM CSCW 2017, Portland, OR, 2/15/17 - 3/1/17
    Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing 2017
  • Reema Upadhyaya
    Conference: ACM CSCW 2017, Portland, OR, 2/15/17 - 3/1/17
    Reflections on Design Methods for Underserved Communities workshop
  • Udaya Lakshmi
    Conference: Convey UX, Seattle, WA, 2/28/17 - 3/2/17
    Student Volunteer

Outstanding Project Award Winners

Each year, MS-HCI students who complete and present the most outstanding projects among their peers are awarded a $500 prize. These graduating students were nominated by their project advisors and then selected by the MS-HCI faculty coordinators following their presentations in late April.

Starting in 2019, a new award was introduced, known as the Service to the Program Award and is given to students who have dedicated exceptional amounts of time and energy to help make the MS-HCI program an amazing experience for everyone involved. This award winners are selected by the Graduate Council, and each recipient is given a prize of $250.

2020 Recipients

2020 Best Team Project Award Winners

  • Matt Golino (IC) | Rachel Feinberg (PSYC)  | ZenVR: Teaching Meditation with Virtual Reality | Advisor: Prof. Rosa Arriaga

2020 Best Individual Project Award Winners

  • Cody O’Donnell (IC)  | ReefGauge: Using Open Data to Support Learning in the Scuba Diving Community | Advisor: Prof. Richard Henneman
  • Bang Tran (DM)  | Designing the Metro Atlanta Affordable Housing Database | Advisor: Prof. Carl DiSalvo

2020 Best Team Project Award Runners-Up

  • Courtney Allen (IC) | Hank Duhaime (IC) | Rex McKay (ID)  | Journey to Dolphin Coast | Advisor: Prof. Hunter Spence and Prof. Carrie Bruce
  • Thanawit Prasongpongchai (IC) | Anusha Vasudeva (IC) | Yangxin Xue (PSYC)  | AirCreate | Advisor: Prof. Chris LeDantec

2020 Best Individual Project Award Runners-Up

  • Isabel Newsome (ID)  | A Real-Time Monitoring System to Promote Compliance Among Adolescents with Scoliosis | Advisor: Prof. Stephen Sprigle
  • Su Fang (PSYC)  | Understanding the Role of Self Presentation in the Era of Digital News Sharing | Advisor: Prof. Courtney Crooks
  • Soumya Pachigolla (DM)  | Promoting Mental Well-Being by Making Ecotherapy More Accessible for Urban Young Adults | Advisor: Prof. Carrie Bruce
  • Xiuxiu Yuan (ID)  | Tangible Data | Advisor: Prof. Hyunjoo Oh

2020 Service to the Program Award

  • First Year Students: Shelby Reilly
  • Second Year Students: Darsh Thakkar | Jordan Chen
2019 Recipients

Some of the 2019 Outstanding MS-HCI Project Awardees

  • Dillon Weeks (IC)  | Facilitating Sound Discovery, Exploration, and Usage with EarSketch | Advisor: Prof. Brian Magerko
  • Mafe Wong (ID)  | Feedback on PPE Compliance in the ICU | Advisor: Prof. Carrie Bruce, Craig Zimring, Florian Voellmer
  • Kaylin Broussard (ID) | Christa Peet (IC) | Concrete Jungle Food Map | Advisor: Prof. Carl DiSalvo
  • Jason Paul (PSYC) | Brianna Pritchett (PSYC) | Danielle Schechter (LMC) | Collecting Sounds: Increasing the Tangibility and Emotional Value of Streaming Music Media | Advisor: Prof. Richard Henneman

2019 MS-HCI Best Project Award: Outstanding Effort

  • Karthik Srinivasan (IC)  |  Gamification as a Motivation to Learn | Advisor: Prof. Betsy DiSalvo
  • Rachel Chen (IC)  |  Information Extraction in Data Journalism | Advisor: Prof. Alex Endert
  • Bianca Copello (ID)  |  PopSign: A Game for Learning American Sign Language | Advisor: Prof. Thad Starner
  • Lindsay Kelly (DM)  |  Faculty Educational Technology Adoption | Advisor: Prof. Stephen Harmon and Rob Kadel

2019 Service to the Program Award

  • First Year Students: Megan Shephard | Courtney Allen
  • Second Year Students: Bianca Copello | Nikhila Nyapathy
2018 Recipients

2018 Outstanding MS-HCI Project Awardees

  • Laurane Saliou | Jordan Movish | Ryan McManus | Contextual Design for Moe's | Advisor: Prof. Richard Henneman
  • Kriti Nelavelli | Hand Which (Detecting Handedness) & | Advisor: Prof. Thomas Ploetz

2018 MS-HCI Best Project Award: Runner-up

  • Alexandra Beall | Andy Jin | Muchao Tang | School Bus Information System | Advisor: Prof. Bruce Walker
  • Ayshwarya Saktheeswaran | Multimodal Interaction for Infoviz Systems | Advisor: Prof. John Stasko
  • Elizabeth Hill | Chatbots for Training Healthcare Providers | Advisor: Dr. Paul Baker
  • Horyun Song | Conversational Online Space | Advisor: Prof. Nassim JafariNaimi
  • Kristin Hare | Ambient Alerting | Advisor: Brian Jones
2017 Recipients

2017 State Farm Outstanding MS-HCI Project Awardees

  • Lakshmi Ravindra Babu (LMC) | Ethical Consumption | Advisor: Prof. Janet Murray
  • Catherine Johnson (PSY) | Creativity & Design | Advisor: Prof. Kate Fu
  • Pratik Shah (IC) | Mogeste - Mobile Motion Gesture Rapid Prototyping | Advisor: Prof. Gregory Abowd
  • Samyutka Sherugar (IC) | Design of mHealth tools for HIV outreach workers | Advisor: Prof. Neha Kumar
  • Tara Ramaman (IC) | One-handed Gesture Interaction with SmartWatches | Advisor: Prof. Gregory Abowd

2017 MS-HCI Best Project Award: Runner-up

  • Samuel Cheng (IC) | EOB Reader: Demystifying the Explanation of Benefits | Advisor: Prof. Mark Braunstein
  • Sarthak Ghosh (IC) | NotifiVR | Advisor: Prof. Gregory Abowd
  • Shambhavi Mahajan (IC) | Swim Coach | Advisor: Prof. Ellen Do, Prof. Bruce Walker
  • Alex Ryan (IC) | Stand Up | Advisor: Prof. Lauren Wilcox
2016 Recipients
  • Ridhima Gupta | AlumniBase | Carl DiSalvo, Advisor
  • Matt Moldavan | Instructor Dashboard for Computer Science EBooks | Mark Guzdial, Advisor
  • Andrew Nelson | Designing Digital Services for Gleaning in Atlanta |  Carl DiSalvo, Advisor
  • Clement Zheng | Design of Interactive Systems for Personal Fabrication | Jim Budd, Advisor
2015 Recipients

2015 State Farm Outstanding MS-HCI Project Awardees

From left to right: Henneman, Foerster, Jegarajan, Major, Lefco

  • Florian Foerster | User-Centered Design of an Adaptive Mobile App for Cancer Patients | Beth Mynatt, Advisor
  • Brighton Vino Jegarajan | Companion Experiences for Live Sports - InSync | Janet Murray, Advisor
  • Tim Major | Visualization Support for Model-Based Systems Engineering | Rahul Basole, Advisor
  • Michael Lefco | Digital Icon Based Asthma Action Plan | Rosa Arriaga, Advisor
Last modified: May. 28, 2020