Presentation Abstract

Technology projects in education face unique challenges and exciting opportunities in developing community settings. Staff and students from the TechBridgeWorld research group will describe their personal experiences working on technology projects and collaborating with partners in developing communities abroad. Project examples will feature the braille writing tutor developed at Carnegie Mellon.

Kaleem and Saurabh spent Summer 2008 doing research with the Mathru School for the Blind, through an internship with Microsoft Research India in Bangalore, India. This internship opportunity was arranged through a collaborative effort between TechBridgeWorld, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, and the Technology Consulting in the Global Community program, and included research work with the braille writing tutor.

Speaker Bios

Kaleem Rahman is a junior studying computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, and is visiting the Pittsburgh campus for the fall semester. His interests include implementing technology for developing communities, web applications and technologies, and organizational behavior.

Saurabh Sanghvi is a junior in Electrical and Computer Engineering. One of the major issues in which he is interested is the disparity between very wealthy and underserved populations around the world. Saurabh believes technology can play an important role in helping with some of these issues, although that it must be developed specifically for individual communities such that it can be sustainable and applicable for them.

Sarah Belousov is a Project Assistant for the TechBridgeWorld research group. She assists with the development of research opportunities for Carnegie Mellon students. She spent July 2008 in Zambia launching technology projects with local schools, including work with the Sefula School for the Visually Impaired in Mongu, alongside colleagues from TechBridgeWorld.