Foley Scholars 2024 Winners and Finalists

The Foley Scholar Awards recognize the achievements of top graduate students whose vision and research are shaping the future of how people interact with and value technology. 

Winners and finalists for the 2024 Foley Scholar Awards were celebrated at Georgia Tech's hotel and convention center on November 12, 2024. The event was hosted by the Institute for People and Technology with its executive director, Michael Best, serving as the master of ceremonies as each finalist was recognized for their innovative research. James Foley, professor emeritus and for whom the awards are named for, once again delivered inspiring and valuable insight at the conclusion of the evening's festivities celebrating the achievements of all finalists.

"Congratulations to the awardees and finalists who represent the finest that Georgia Tech has to offer," said Michael Best. "Our judges had a difficult task of selecting winners this year because each finalist was so outstanding," said Best.

Congratulations to the 2024 Foley Scholars who are:

• Momin Siddiqui, M.S. student in computer science was awarded $1,000.
• Vanessa Oguamanam, Ph.D. student in computer science was awarded $5,000.
• Charles Ramey, Ph.D student in computer science was awarded $5,000.
• Jiawei Zhou, Ph.D student in human centered computing was awarded $5,000.

The finalists in the master's category were Jordan Brown, Jared Lim, Da Hee (Stephanie) Kim, and Momin Siddiqui.

The finalists in the Ph.D. category were Beatriz Palacios Abad, Adam Coscia, Eric Greenlee, Alexandra Teixeira Riggs, Vishal Sharma, Vanessa Oguamanam, Charles Ramey, and Jiawei Zhou.

A short description of each finalists' unique research along with their Georgia Tech faculty advisor is listed below:

Jordan Brown is a master's student in human computer interaction advised by Andrea Parker. Her research vision is to design and innovate technology that empowers and promotes the emotional and physical wellbeing for underrepresented groups, specifically Black women.

Jared Lim is a master's student in computer science advised by Judith Uchidiuno. His primary research interest is providing computer science opportunities for children from low-resource communities through informal settings or settings outside the traditional classroom.

Da Hee (Stephanie) Kim is a master's student in human computer interaction advised by Mengyao Li. Her research is focused on leveraging robot-mediated intimacy to help couples in long-distance relationships maintain and deepen their emotional intimacy, using an interdisciplinary approach between philosophical, psychological, and human-robot interaction methods and theories.

Momin Siddiqui is a master's student in computer science advised by Chris MacLellan. His research wants to understand how to leverage artificial intelligence to build education technologies that foster a creative, adaptive, and constructionist learning experience for students.

Beatriz Palacios Abad is a Ph.D. student in computer science advised by Ellen Zegura. Her research work lies at the intersection of networking, policy, and human centered computing, focusing on mobile broadband mapping. Her overall research vision is to inform policy and technological efforts in the pursuit of digital inclusion. Specifically, with the goal of supporting localized, community organizing efforts around broadband.

Adam Coscia is a Ph.D. student in human centered computing advised by Alex Endert. His research vision is to develop and deploy responsible and trustworthy AI in education. The advent of generalizable and scalable AI models, namely large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, has catalyzed educational communities to begin integrating LLMs into novel adaptive learning tools, such as chatbots for answering questions about course material, or interactive conversational aids for learning and feedback. Yet LLMs have also been shown to introduce potential pedagogical risks and harms, such as responding with misinformation and discriminatory language and biasing scores when used for grading.

Eric Greenlee is a Ph.D. student in computer science advised by Josiah Hester and Ellen Zegure. His research aims to build relationships with historically marginalized communities and to co-design environmental sensing systems that promote their sovereignty and self-advocacy. He also develops novel electronic cyberinfrastructure that provides information about the environment in both a socially and environmentally sustainable manner.

Alexandra Teixeira Riggs is a Ph.D. student in digital media advised by Anne Sullivan. Their overarching research vision is to develop a set of design recommendations and approaches for queering, or critically reorienting, the design of tangible embodied interactive experiences that explore queer history. They are drawing from several prior projects to conceptualize a body of work, looking to how they have each involved archival ephemera, critical human computer interaction, and tangible making, towards reframing histories and empowering queer communities today.

Vishal Sharma is a Ph.D. student in human centered computing advised by Neha Kumar. As a sociotechnical researcher, he studies the design and use of digital technologies in supporting climate justice. He aims to expand the human-computer interaction scholarship on climate justice, paving the way for a future where technology actively supports sustainable development for all. 

Vanessa Oguamanam is a Ph.D. student in computer science advised by Andrea Parker. Her research contributes to the fields of human-computer interaction, digital health equity, and mobile and ubiquitous computing. She conducts empirical research examining the utilization and perceptions of consumer digital health technologies to support mental health among perinatal Black women, assessing the extent to which these tools satisfy their needs. Her insights underscore the importance of nuanced approaches to digital interventions that can accommodate women's unique needs and perspectives with particular intersectional experiences and identities. 

Charles Ramey is a Ph.D. student in computer science advised by Thad Starner and Melody Jackson. His research utilizes wearable and embedded computers, along with AI, to enable humans to communicate with, better care for, and work with non-human animals. He believes that advances gained in understanding the sensory, cognitive, and communicative abilities of non-human animals will create a world more empathetic to all species with whom we share our planet.

Jiawei Zhou is a Ph.D. student in human centered computing advised by Munmun DeChoudhury. According to Zhou, information is integral to every aspect of our lives, from personal decisions to professional activities. Careful and mindful approaches to meeting informational needs are vital to navigating the abundance of available information, critically consuming content, and protecting ourselves from misinformation and manipulation. Her goal is to pursue a research agenda on the role of technologies in shaping individual wellbeing and social ecologies, as well as responsible communication and public education of technological capabilities and limitations.

About the James D. Foley Endowment
The James D. Foley Endowment, established in 2007, is named for James D. Foley, professor and founder of the GVU Center (now integrated with IPaT as of January, 2023) at Georgia Tech. The award was established by Foley's colleagues and IPaT/GVU alumni to honor his significant contributions in the field of computing, his influence on the work of others, and his dedication to the development of new research directions.

Funds from the Foley Endowment are used to support the students and research activities of the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), including the Foley Scholars Fellowships, awarded annually to two graduate students on the basis of personal vision, brilliance, and potential impact. Foley Scholars are selected by an advisory board comprised of alumni, current faculty, and industry partners during the fall semester.