About

I am a 5th year Human Centered Computing PhD Candidate in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech Specializing in the Learning Sciences & Technology. My work focuses on empowering students to design and create with technology in ways they find personally meaningful. Working in the Culture and Technology Lab (CAT Lab),under the advisement of Dr. Betsy DiSalvo, I explore physical computing education combining engineering, electronics, computer science, and design. My work takes a critical look at both the educational technology for teaching in this domain and the design of the learning environment to scaffold students to be self-reflective as they contribute to the design of their educational experience. My research vision is to understand how to create equitable and inclusive learning environments that can empower learners from all backgrounds and communities participate in computing.

Background

I received my undergraduate degree in Electrical Computer Engineering from Cornell University in 2010. After graduation, I worked at Intel for three years in their Platform Validation Engineering group designing test cases, running experiments, and developing software to validate server processors. Through tutoring at the Boys & Girls Club in Boston, I discovered my passion for education. To gain an understanding of how to capitalize on technology to create more equitable learning environments, I entered the Human Centered Computing doctoral program at Georgia Tech. Here, I combined my engineering background with a specialization in the Learning Sciences and Technology in order to explore creating equitable computing education environments.

• Where are the Glass-Boxes? Examining the Spectrum of Modularity in Physical Computing Hardware Tools

  Details PDF Project

• BitBlox: A Redesign of the Breadboard

  Details PDF Project

• Interdisciplinary Computing and the Emergence of Boundary Objects: A Case-Study of Dance and Technology

  Details PDF Project

• The MoveLab: Developing Congruence Between Students' Self-Concepts and Computing

  Details PDF Project

• Where are the Glass-Boxes? Examining the Spectrum of Modularity in Physical Computing Hardware Tools

  Details PDF Project

• Circuit diagrams vs. physical circuits: The effect of representational forms during assessment

  Details PDF

• Learning and Collaboration in Physical Computing

  Details PDF

• BitBlox: A Redesign of the Breadboard

  Details PDF Project

• Interdisciplinary Computing and the Emergence of Boundary Objects: A Case-Study of Dance and Technology

  Details PDF Project

• The MoveLab: Developing Congruence Between Students' Self-Concepts and Computing

  Details PDF Project

• I-Corps Recap: Customer Discovery Experience

  Tue, Jun 6, 2017, Invited Talk at BIG Incubator for High Potential Black and Latinx Women Founders

• Physical Computing Education: Value-Driven Learning and Hardware Tool Design

  Thu, Feb 16, 2017, Invited Talk at University of Colorado Boulder in the Laboratory for Playful Computation

Teaching and mentorship is a large part of what I’ve done throughout my time at Georgia Tech and what I intend to continue doing once I graduate.

Instructor:

• CS4460/6460: Introduction to Educational Technology
  • Summer 2016 || 22-students (graduate + undergraduate)
• CS4001: Computing and Society
  • Summer 2015 || 40-students (undergraduate)

Teaching Assistant:

• CS7455: Issues in Human-Centered Computing
  • Spring 2016 || 10-students (graduate)
• CS4460: Introduction to Educational Technology
  • Spring 2013 || 45-students (undergraduate)
• Teaching Assistant Orientation Fellow
  • Summer 2016,2017 || ~200-students (graduate + undergraduate)

Research Mentorships:

• Neeti Pathak
  • M.S. of Computer Science, Georgia Tech 2016
• Monet Spells
  • M.S. of Human-Computer Interaction, Georgia Tech 2015
• Anjali Shankar
  • B.S. of Computer Science, Georgia Tech 2014

Curriculum Vitae

• ksdesportes_AT_gatech_DOT_edu

• Technology Square Research Building, 85 5th Street NW, Atlanta GA 30308