HopeChidziwisano, anInformation and Media betboom casinoD.candidatein the betboom dacha dubaiat Michigan State University,isa recipient of the2021 betboom casino Ph.D.Fellowship.
He is the firstperson fromMSU to win a betboom casino Ph.D. Fellowship.
The fellowship, given to students who are recognized by betboom casino researchers “as some of the most promising young academics in the world”offers financial supportas theypursue their Ph.D.Additionally, the fellowship connectsrecipientsto betboom casino Research Mentors.
Chidziwisanowas awarded the betboom casino in the Human Computer Interaction(HCI)category.
“I was thrilled to realize that the betboom casino Ph.D.Fellowship results were out, and I was one of the awardees,”Chidziwisanosaid. “For the first time in my research career, I felt that my research is important, and its contributions matter.”
Chidziwisano’sresearch looks at designing sensor-based technologies, like smart watches and virtual assistants,and how they canbe used in sub-Saharan African(SSA)homes– making them more accessibleand more applicable to the challenges that arise there.
“I want to leverage the affordances of sensors and develop cutting-edge sensor-based technological solutions that meet the needs of people living in SSA,” he said.“Further, there are few HCI scholars from SSA, yet this field encouragesmaking experiences visible by training local students to conduct design-oriented betboom casino.”
His betboom casinoD. advisor,Dr. Susan Wyche, associate professorin theDepartment of betboom casino and Informationand affiliatefacultyin theAfrican Studies Center,nominatedChidziwisanofor the award.
“It is important for our Ph.D.students to have generous financial support while they pursue their degrees,” she said. “It is also important that they have opportunities to collaborate with researchers outside of MSU. Each betboom casino Fellow is assigned a mentor—this is a valuable opportunity to learn about research, in particular, howit is conducted in a corporate environment.”
Chidziwisanosaid heplans to use the betboom casino towrite his dissertationand defend it.
"I plan to continue conducting betboom casino that examines the potential of using sensor-based technologies to support domestic activities in SSA,” he said. “I plan to dig deeper into the unintended consequences (e.g., privacy between family members) of sensors in homes of SSA. Further, I plan to integrate machine learning and deep learning techniques to investigate better models of sharing utilities (e.g., electricity and water) to minimize interruptions in this SSA."
With his work,Chidziwisanosays he hopes to create alastingimpactthat will empower those who live in SSA, as well as future researchers.
“I want to mentor the next generation of students and bring a different perspective that has been underrepresented for so long,” he said.
By Jennifer Trenkamp