Shazia, who uses one name, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Georgia Tech, has been named the recipient of The Carter Center Digital Democracy Fellowship for the 2025–2026 academic year. The fellowship, jointly supported by The Carter Center and Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), recognizes graduate students working at the intersection of digital technologies and democratic processes.

Open to all Georgia Tech graduate students, the fellowship provides $15,000 in support—disbursed to the recipient’s advisor—and offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with The Carter Center’s Democracy Program. Fellows are expected to engage in IPaT programming and contribute to ongoing research and communications efforts throughout the year.

Shazia’s research centers on the sociopolitical dynamics of the Hazara community in Balochistan, Pakistan. Her dissertation, titled “Assemblages of Security: Violence and (re)Construction of identities in the Case of Hazaras,” explores how digital platforms have reshaped traditional forms of resistance and identity formation. As part of the fellowship, she will focus on how Hazaras have used platforms like Facebook and Twitter (now X) to transform sit-in protests into new modes of democratic struggle.

Her study poses critical questions: How have digital technologies influenced local governance in Balochistan? In what ways have these platforms enabled global advocacy for Hazaras? And how has digital activism contributed to the shaping of Hazara identity both within Pakistan and on the international stage?

“These questions speak directly to the missions of both The Carter Center and IPaT,” said Shazia. “I have always wanted to bring digital democracy into my research because of the 2013 Hazaras protest in Balochistan, Pakistan, which incorporated the use of online digital platforms. Online posts and engagement eventually resulted in the dissolution of the local government.”

The concept of “digital democracy” has gained traction in recent scholarship, often described as a transformative force capable of revolutionizing governance and citizen engagement. Shazia’s work exemplifies this potential, offering insights into how marginalized communities leverage technology for political agency and global visibility.

Her selection as Digital Democracy Fellow underscores Georgia Tech’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and highlights The Carter Center’s ongoing efforts to support democratic engagement through technology.

Shazia will be working closely with Anthony DeMattee, Ph.D., a data scientist in The Carter Center Democracy Program. She is advised by Amit Prasad, professor of sociology in the School of History and Sociology.

“This Fellowship represents the significant partnership between IPaT and the Democracy Program at The Carter Center, centered on the digital transformations of democratic practice,” said Michael Best, executive director of IPaT. “Shazia’s research will focus on how social media platforms have reshaped the politics of a community that is too often overlooked.”  

Precision agriculture uses tools and technologies such as GPS and sensors to monitor, measure and respond to changes within a farm field in real time. This includes using artificial intelligence technologies for tasks such as helping farmers apply pesticides only where and when they are needed.

However, precision agriculture has not been widely implemented in many rural areas of the United States.

We study smart communities, environmental health sciences and health policy and community health, and we participated in a research project on AI and pesticide use in a rural Georgia agricultural community.

Our team, led by Georgia Southern University and the City of Millen, with support from University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, local high schools and agriculture technology company FarmSense, is piloting AI-powered sensors to help cotton farmers optimize pesticide use. Georgia is one of the top cotton-producing states in the U.S., with cotton contributing nearly US$1 billion to the state’s economy in 2024. But only 13% of Georgia farmers use precision agriculture practices.

Read the full story here >>

Georgia Tech has appointed Lisa Marks, associate professor in the School of Industrial Design, as the interim chair for the new Arts, Entertainment, and Creative Technologies major within the College of Design. The school’s new undergraduate degree, which was approved by the Board of Regents in August, will welcome its first students in Fall 2026.

Marks, an award-winning designer and educator, is known for her research that merges endangered and traditional handcraft with algorithmic modeling to create new methods of production. Before joining Georgia Tech, she worked in New York with clients including Google, Nike, and Swarovski. She holds both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Parsons School of Design. 

In her new role, Marks is leading the program’s launch and laying the groundwork for a vibrant student community. “This year, we’re piloting classes and renovating studio spaces to welcome incoming students,” she explained. “My goal is to make sure that when the permanent chair steps in, they inherit a strong, well-planned program and a supportive community.” 

For Marks, the opportunity to shape a new academic program is a milestone. “I always thought this was something I might do ten years from now. Getting the chance to help launch a new school so early in my career is both exciting and humbling. This has always been a goal of mine.”

She also emphasized the significance of this moment for the Institute. “At an Institute best known for its strengths in engineering and technology, it’s remarkable to see leadership embrace the arts as essential to innovation. The enthusiasm across campus—from students, faculty, and administration alike—shows how much creative technologies can strengthen every discipline.” 

Dean Ellen Bassett highlighted the importance of Marks’ leadership during the program’s formative stage, noting that the degree offers “the most creative option in the state of Georgia for combining talents in design and technology into viable, thriving careers.” 

With Marks at the helm, Georgia Tech is positioning its Arts, Entertainment, and Creative Technologies degree to become a national model—blending creativity, arts practice, and technology into a transformative educational experience.

By Melissa Alonso | September 24, 2025 

View the news posting at the College of Design >>

Georgia Tech’s Rural Computer Science Initiative, a state-supported program, continues to expand its reach and impact across Georgia. Now in its fourth year, the collaborative effort launched by the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) and STEM@GTRI, the K-12 outreach arm of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), has grown rapidly for the second year in a row. Participating students increased from 4,400 to more than 10,000 this past academic year.

This fall, five new counties—Baldwin, Coffee, Evans, Hart, and Monroe—joined the initiative, bringing the total to 45 participating districts, with plans to add more districts in the spring. Over 70 teachers have engaged with the initiative through professional development offered at the beginning of each semester and co-teaching opportunities held throughout the year through a hybrid model. Georgia Tech faculty members lead instruction online in partnership with in-person classroom teachers across the state.

“We’re seeing real momentum in our partner schools—computer science curricula are evolving, career pathways are clearly laid out for both teachers and students, and applications to computer science programs, including Georgia Tech, are on the rise,” said CEISMC Executive Director Lizanne DeStefano. “Teachers are advancing more quickly, and our professional development offerings now include cutting-edge topics like artificial intelligence in agriculture and healthcare, as well as unmanned aerial vehicle development to meet local needs.”

For veteran educators such as Jansen Haight, the Rural Computer Science Initiative has shaped his pedagogical approach and strengthened his commitment to making computer science content accessible to all students. He joined the program during its second year when he was a newly minted computer science teacher at Lumpkin County High School. “At that time, I only taught Introduction to Software Technology and Computer Science Principles,” he said. “It was incredibly valuable to collaborate with other teachers like me, to share ideas, and to see how to grow my program.”

Haight, now in his third year with the Rural Computer Science Initiative and teaching computer science full-time, took advantage of every opportunity available to him, including external resources like the GenCyber AGENT Initiative at the University of North Georgia. His involvement with the professional development program for middle and high school educators—focused on cybersecurity and computer science instruction —inspired his next steps.

Haight explained that the curriculum developers in the Rural Computer Science Initiative recognized the absence of a structured cybersecurity unit. So, in his second year, he wrote a grant and collaborated with Bryson Payne, a cybersecurity professor and researcher at the University of North Georgia, to develop one. They adapted the unit this past summer so it could run completely offline for school security purposes and be more accessible to first-year students.

“Our program has expanded from a single introductory class to a full pathway, and I’ve seen more students express interest in computer science careers — particularly in cybersecurity,” Haight said. “The hands-on nature of the Raspberry Pi devices (programmable microcontrollers) and open-source tools has given students a sense of real-world application that motivates them to pursue further study.”

A new area of focus this year is applying computer science and artificial intelligence to agriculture, including farming. Several school districts have been provided with FarmBots, including Twiggs County, which has been a partner since the initiative’s pilot year. A FarmBot is an open-source, automated farming system that integrates coding, robotics, and data science, and can monitor variables such as soil moisture and temperature. One such system was installed in Georgia Tech’s community garden to serve as a test bed for designing the related learning experiences and supporting partner schools in setting up their devices.

T.S. Whitmore, a new computer science teacher for both the middle and high schools in Twiggs County, explained that the resources provided by the Rural Computer Science Initiative are helping him plan lessons across grade levels. His middle schoolers will be engaged with the cybersecurity unit, while most of the high schoolers have volunteered to assist with the FarmBot project.

“I learned so much in so little time. I have so much to learn, but I've never been more excited,” he said. “I am learning to think outside of the box and find different ways to connect new learning to things previously learned. I expect to be more creative in my lesson planning.”

Newcomer Ella Newsome is also bringing excitement and energy to Oglethorpe County High School as she begins both her teaching career and her participation in the Rural Computer Science Initiative. A recent mathematics graduate from the University of Georgia, she now teaches 10th grade geometry and computer science for grades 9-12.

“It has become very clear that the other teachers in the community as well as the Georgia Tech staff can and want to help me,” Newsome said of her early involvement with the initiative. “They want to see my students succeed and are willing to put much time and effort towards that goal.  I feel empowered, supported, and motivated to engage my students with computer science!”

“It's so nice to hear these stories and the enthusiasm about the project as we lift our heads up from the day-to-day implementation and planning details, especially as we have kicked off the new school year with even more districts and schools,” said STEM@GTRI Director Leigh McCook. “It’s a great reminder of what is happening at the school, teacher, and student level as a result of the opportunities this project—and the people behind it—bring.”

In fact, the Rural Computer Science Initiative will be featured at the inaugural Georgia Tech Lifetime Learning Symposium on October 6, hosted by the College of Lifetime Learning of which CEISMC is a foundational unit. The K-12 education community is invited to tune in to the free live stream after 3 p.m., using this link: https://mediaspace.gatech.edu/media/1_hzdv0u71, to view Dean William Gaudelli’s keynote address, followed by a panel discussion of the initiative. Registration is not required

“The Rural Computer Science collaboration between CEISMC and STEM@GTRI is an important and valued connection between the Institute and the state of Georgia,” Gaudelli said, reflecting on the initiative’s growing impact and its role in advancing STEM education statewide. “Teachers and administrators coming together to learn at the cutting edge of STEM pedagogy is a great example of what lifetime learning is all about. Georgia Tech expertise, coupled with a forum for knowledge creation and teacher growth, is a powerful combination. I am excited to see what comes next in this significant area of work at Georgia Tech.”   

—Joëlle Walls, CEISMC Communications