Last modified: Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Informatics student awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Katie O'Donnell, a Ph.D. candidate in the human computer interaction design program at Indiana University Bloomington's School of Informatics and Computing, has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship worth $90,000 over three years.
O'Donnell will research cross-cultural domestic technology design and will begin her Ph.D. program at the School of Informatics and Computing (SOIC) in the fall. O'Donnell holds a Bachelor of Science in informatics with a minor in psychology and a master's degree in Human Computer Interaction/Design from IU Bloomington.
IU Bloomington School of Informatics and Computing Ph.D. candidate Katie O'Donnell will receive $90,000 in support over three years from the National Science Foundation toward her research on domestic technology design.
The purpose of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce in the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF's mission.
"This is a phenomenal opportunity for Katie," said IU professor Shaowen Bardzell, a faculty member in SOIC's human computer interaction design program and O'Donnell's advisor. "Even at the undergraduate and master's levels she had amassed an impressive record, and now as she enters our Ph.D. program, the sky's the limit for her."
The NSF's graduate fellowship program provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research. The competitive fellowship was awarded to 2,000 students nationwide this year, eight of them to Indiana University.
O'Donnell's research emphasis is domestic technology design. A recipient of the Computing Research Association's Multidisciplinary Research Opportunities for Women award, O'Donnell used the grant to complete her undergraduate thesis on fostering physical engagement for seniors. She has been a member of Women in Informatics and Computing for six years and has served as the communication chair for the organization for two years. She is also the Institutional Voice Chair for the Graduate Informatics Student Association and last summer O'Donnell successfully completed an internship at Oracle, researching and designing collaborative applications.
To speak with O'Donnell or for more information please contact Steve Chaplin, Office of University Communications, at 812-856-1896 or stjchap@indiana.edu, or Lisa Herrmann, School of Informatics and Computing, at 812-855-4125 or ljherrma@indiana.edu.
