{"692252":{"#nid":"692252","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Alumna to Discuss Designing Tech for Marginalized Communities in Upcoming Lecture ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Computing alumna \u003Cstrong\u003ENova Ahmed\u003C\/strong\u003E (CS Ph.D. 2010) will return to campus on Sept. 14 to discuss her two decades\u0026nbsp;of experience applying technology to address social and humanitarian challenges.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmed will present \u003Cem\u003EConnecting Systems with Humans\u003C\/em\u003E as part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/omscs.gatech.edu\/omscs-speaker-series\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EOMSCS Speaker Series\u003C\/a\u003E. The lecture will explore the evolution of Ahmed\u0027s research, from sensing systems designed for eldercare homes to low-resource technologies that address challenges faced by women and marginalized communities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was inspired by many other projects that handled social and humanitarian problems, especially one where Jill Diamond \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/lifestyles\/georgia-tech-student-helps-create-street-harassment-app\/kMNuBbctHPCiFSTktVBL9J\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eworked on domestic violence\u003C\/a\u003E under the supervision of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/people\/amy-bruckman\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAmy Bruckman\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cI thought, \u2018this is what work should look like, where lives are changed, and impacts are made.\u2019\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmed\u2019s research journey began with designing sensing systems for eldercare homes as a creative solution to an existing commercial problem. After completing her doctorate, she returned to Bangladesh, where she found that conventional technology design approaches often did not fit communities whose challenges were deeply connected to social and cultural contexts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer work subsequently shifted toward low-resource technologies designed for women and marginalized communities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn her upcoming OMSCS Speaker Series lecture, Ahmed will discuss projects focused on social justice and on preventing violence and sexual harassment, as well as sensing technologies designed to improve people\u2019s lives. She will also share research and projects inspired by students and discuss her ongoing work examining women in computing and STEM, including the stressors faced by undergraduate students in STEM fields.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of Ahmed\u2019s early projects was \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/alumna-creates-app-help-victims-sexual-harassment-bangladesh\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EProtibadi\u003C\/a\u003E, a technology-based effort to address sexual harassment in Bangladesh.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer work designing technology for marginalized communities has reinforced the importance of developing solutions that account for the specific needs and circumstances of the people they serve.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDesigning something is easy, but designing for someone who needs something very different from others, being a marginalized one, takes a lot of courage and often can get overlooked,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cBut once it can be done, it is extremely rewarding.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmed is a computer scientist and professor at North South University in Bangladesh. Her primary research interests include feminist human-computer interaction (HCI), low-cost sensor systems, and information and communication technologies (ICT) for development.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmed hopes those who attend her lecture this month\u0026nbsp;will take away the importance of continuing to pursue meaningful change.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe fact that things do not change much, but still we can keep trying to make the world a better place,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmed said she is looking forward to returning to Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI am so humbled, honored, and can\u0027t wait to meet many of my old friends,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe lecture will take place Sept. 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Klaus Building, Rooms 1116 East and West. The event is free and open to the public.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Computing alumna Nova Ahmed (CS Ph.D. 2010) will return to campus on Sept. 14 to discuss her two decades\u0026nbsp;of experience applying technology to address social and humanitarian challenges.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"College of Computing alumna Nova Ahmed (CS Ph.D. 2010) will return to campus on Sept. 14 to discuss her two decades\u00a0of experience applying technology to address social and humanitarian challenges. "}],"uid":"36613","created_gmt":"2026-09-03 13:54:51","changed_gmt":"2026-09-03 14:14:16","author":"Emily Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681059":{"id":"681059","type":"image","title":"nova2.jpg","body":null,"created":"1788443843","gmt_created":"2026-09-03 13:57:23","changed":"1788443843","gmt_changed":"2026-09-03 13:57:23","alt":"Nova Ahmed","file":{"fid":"265410","name":"nova2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/nova2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/nova2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":129797,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/03\/nova2.jpg?itok=VpMSrJqJ"}}},"media_ids":["681059"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"660374","name":"School of Computing Instruction"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"506","name":"alumni"},{"id":"121521","name":"OMSCS"},{"id":"8472","name":"amy bruckman"},{"id":"166941","name":"School of Computer Science"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}