{"683023":{"#nid":"683023","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Shared Experiences Inspire PhD Student\u2019s Book \u2018Between Classes\u2019","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShamim Shoomali felt as if she were the only graduate student without a sense of community when she arrived at Georgia Tech in 2023 to pursue a Ph.D. in digital media. Now, with the publication of her new book, \u003Cem\u003EBetween Classes\u003C\/em\u003E, she wants to help other students see that they aren\u0027t alone.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince she was a child growing up in Iran, Shoomali has expressed herself through art \u2014 whether on paper or the walls of her parents\u0027 home. At Tech, looking for a way to connect to her new surroundings, Shoomali brought her sketchbook to her favorite campus locations and decided to draw her observations.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver time, what she saw and heard led her to the realization that shared experiences bond many students at the Institute, even if they don\u0027t know it. From the stress of not having a car to finding a place to get a haircut in an unfamiliar city, her illustrations depict the ups and downs of the graduate student experience while providing a resource for future generations.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022My first semester at Georgia Tech was the most challenging one, and if I had this book, I would have felt like I was not alone. I hope the book tells future students that someone has experienced all these things, and it\u2019s going to get better. We can all feel isolated sometimes, but realizing that this is a part of life can help you move forward together,\u0022 she said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince arriving on campus, Shoomali has been involved with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/belonging.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EArts, Belonging and Community\u003C\/a\u003E, where she pitched the book concept and was awarded a grant to complete the project. \u003Cem\u003EBetween Classes \u003C\/em\u003Ewill be available in the Georgia Tech Library and featured at the Grad Welcome and Fall Picnic in August. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I want to create more opportunities for other students to share their own experiences. This can help them find connections and give everyone a chance to understand what others may be going through,\u0022 she said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBlending Art and Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter earning a bachelor\u0027s degree in visual communication design and a master\u0027s degree in animation direction and new media from the Tehran University of Art, Shoomali wanted to continue her education, and a book she read while completing her thesis led her to Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJanet Murray\u0027s \u003Cem\u003EHamlet on the Holodeck\u003C\/em\u003E guided Shoomali in her understanding of the evolving relationship between art and technology. Murray, a professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, encouraged Shoomali to apply to Georgia Tech to pursue her Ph.D. and served as her advisor until her retirement earlier this year.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShoomali digitized her illustrations for \u003Cem\u003EBetween Classes\u003C\/em\u003E with an iPad and completed the publication process entirely online. In each step of her educational journey, Shoomali says that she has developed new perspectives on how to merge traditional and modern techniques in her creations. This includes her latest project, an animated short film titled \u003Cem\u003EPaw and Scissors\u003C\/em\u003E, which is made up of 6,000 hand-drawn frames.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The process of creating a piece of art can take a long time, but technology can enhance the process and expand its audience. Traditional art can get overlooked because it may not be accessible to everyone, or audiences may not be willing to wait for something to be completed. At the same time, if we rely too heavily on technology, little by little, we are going to forget who we are, so I think it\u0027s important that they overlap,\u0022 she said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShoomali currently serves as an instructor of record at Tech, teaching design and media courses. After earning her Ph.D., she plans to become a professor and design interactive museum exhibits.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Shamim Shoomali hopes her new book will help other students see that they aren\u0027t alone.\u00a0 "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EShamim Shoomali hopes her new book will help other students see that they aren\u0027t alone.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Shamim Shoomali hopes her new book will help other students see that they aren\u0027t alone."}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2025-07-07 15:49:03","changed_gmt":"2025-07-07 18:38:34","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677347":{"id":"677347","type":"image","title":"Shamim Shoomalim with her book, \u0027Between Classes.\u0027","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPh.D. student Shamim Shoomalim stands with her book, \u0027Between Classes,\u0027 in front of the shelves inside the Georgia Tech Library. Photo by Joya Chapman.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1751904107","gmt_created":"2025-07-07 16:01:47","changed":"1751904107","gmt_changed":"2025-07-07 16:01:47","alt":"Shamim Shoomalim with her book, \u0027Between Classes.\u0027","file":{"fid":"261237","name":"DSC_2797.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/07\/DSC_2797.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/07\/DSC_2797.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3500612,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/07\/DSC_2797.jpeg?itok=X8ap5D4Q"}}},"media_ids":["677347"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"42941","name":"Art Research"},{"id":"194568","name":"Arts and Performance"}],"keywords":[{"id":"174707","name":"price gilbert library"},{"id":"139491","name":"PhD student"},{"id":"167460","name":"student art"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sgagliano3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}