The National Science Foundation has awarded a dissertation grant to support Info Sci PhD Maggie Jack and her forthcoming fieldwork in Cambodia.
Jack – whose research interests lie at the intersection of HCI and science and technology studies – will embark next year on research to support her project, "A Historical and Ethnographic Inquiry into Cambodian Media Creation and Reconstruction". This project will analyze computing culture by studying cultural practices and historical media production.
"It will look at the relationship between memories and media by investigating how transnational forces and locally situated culture interact. It will document the multiplicities of innovation that have practical import for technology-related development initiatives," according to Jack and Steve Jackson, an Info Sci professor and project co-investigator. "The results of this research will be of interest to local and international policy makers, funders and local communities. It will contribute to understanding how policies and development funding can build on the efforts of local communities to improve development outcomes."
The good news for Jack doesn't end there. Her paper, “Infrastructure as Creative Action: Online Buying, Selling, and Delivery in Phnom Penh”, just received an Honorable Mention at CHI '17, the premiere conference for researchers in human-computer interaction. Honorable Mentions are reserved for the top 5 percent of total conference submissions.