Industrial Design

Thesis on Human-Centered AI Earns Honors from International Computing Organization

dgivens8 — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:30:41 +0000

Thesis on Human-Centered AI Earns Honors from International Computing Organization dgivens8 Tue, 04/22/2025 - 10:30

A Georgia Tech alum’s dissertation introduced ways to make artificial intelligence (AI) more accessible, interpretable, and accountable. Although it’s been a year since his doctoral defense, Zijie (Jay) Wang’s (Ph.D. ML-CSE 2024) work continues to resonate with researchers.

Wang is a recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI). The award recognizes Wang for his lifelong work on democratizing human-centered AI.

“Throughout my Ph.D. and industry internships, I observed a gap in existing research: there is a strong need for practical tools for applying human-centered approaches when designing AI systems,” said Wang, now a safety researcher at OpenAI.

“My work not only helps people understand AI and guide its behavior but also provides user-friendly tools that fit into existing workflows.”

Wang’s dissertation presented techniques in visual explanation and interactive guidance to align AI models with user knowledge and values. The work culminated from years of research, fellowship support, and internships.

Wang’s most influential projects formed the core of his dissertation. These included:

CNN Explainer: an open-source tool developed for deep-learning beginners. Since its release in July 2020, more than 436,000 global visitors have used the tool.
DiffusionDB: a first-of-its-kind large-scale dataset that lays a foundation to help people better understand generative AI. This work could lead to new research in detecting deepfakes and designing human-AI interaction tools to help people more easily use these models.
GAM Changer: an interface that empowers users in healthcare, finance, or other domains to edit ML models to include knowledge and values specific to their domain, which improves reliability.
GAM Coach: an interactive ML tool that could help people who have been rejected for a loan by automatically letting an applicant know what is needed for them to receive loan approval.
Farsight: a tool that alerts developers when they write prompts in large language models that could be harmful and misused.

“I feel extremely honored and lucky to receive this award, and I am deeply grateful to many who have supported me along the way, including Polo, mentors, collaborators, and friends,” said Wang, who was advised by School of Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Professor Polo Chau.

“This recognition also inspired me to continue striving to design and develop easy-to-use tools that help everyone to easily interact with AI systems.”

Like Wang, Chau advised Georgia Tech alumnus Fred Hohman (Ph.D. CSE 2020). Hohman won the ACM SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2022.

Chau’s group synthesizes machine learning (ML) and visualization techniques into scalable, interactive, and trustworthy tools. These tools increase understanding and interaction with large-scale data and ML models.

Chau is the associate director of corporate relations for the Machine Learning Center at Georgia Tech. Wang called the School of CSE his home unit while a student in the ML program under Chau.

Wang is one of five recipients of this year’s award to be presented at the 2025 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2025). The conference occurs April 25-May 1 in Yokohama, Japan.

SIGCHI is the world’s largest association of human-computer interaction professionals and practitioners. The group sponsors or co-sponsors 26 conferences, including CHI.

Wang’s outstanding dissertation award is the latest recognition of a career decorated with achievement.

Months after graduating from Georgia Tech, Forbes named Wang to its 30 Under 30 in Science for 2025 for his dissertation. Wang was one of 15 Yellow Jackets included in nine different 30 Under 30 lists and the only Georgia Tech-affiliated individual on the 30 Under 30 in Science list.

While a Georgia Tech student, Wang earned recognition from big names in business and technology. He received the Apple Scholars in AI/ML Ph.D. Fellowship in 2023 and was in the 2022 cohort of the J.P. Morgan AI Ph.D. Fellowships Program.

Along with the CHI award, Wang’s dissertation earned him awards this year at banquets across campus. The Georgia Tech chapter of Sigma Xi presented Wang with the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award. He also received the College of Computing’s Outstanding Dissertation Award.

“Georgia Tech attracts many great minds, and I’m glad that some, like Jay, chose to join our group,” Chau said. “It has been a joy to work alongside them and witness the many wonderful things they have accomplished, and with many more to come in their careers.”

Summary sentence

Zijie (Jay) Wang (Ph.D. ML-CSE 2024) is a recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI).

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Thu, 04/17/2025 - 12:00

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Tue, 04/22/2025 - 10:29

Georgia Tech Auto Show Motors On

admin — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:47:41 +0000

Georgia Tech Auto Show Motors On admin Wed, 03/26/2025 - 14:47

What began simply as a common interest among colleagues has become a long-standing tradition on campus: the Georgia Tech Auto Show. It returns Saturday, March 29.

It debuted in 2003 when Sterling Skinner, a laboratory manager at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and David Lynn, a lecturer in the School of Industrial Design (a master’s student in the program at the time), tried getting Tech gearheads out of the garage and into the community.

Because of Tech’s rich automotive history — from the iconography of the Ramblin' Wreck to the Institute's racing roots — the show's organizers quickly realized there was a shared enthusiasm among students, faculty, staff, and alumni to showcase their vehicles.

"It felt as if there were a lot of people on campus who were into cars, but you could be in an office or a lab right next to someone who shares this passion, and it may never come up in conversation," Lynn said. "Georgia Tech being so engineering-heavy lends itself to many people enjoying all things mechanical, and I don't know that there's any better example of a mechanical object than a car."

The show attracts classic cars, concept vehicles, unfinished student projects, and everything in between.

Lynn's decades of experience as an automotive designer have taken him around the world. He has designed cars that have competed at Le Mans and won world championships. But despite having seen more cars than most, he is continuously impressed by the unique collection of vehicles that roll onto campus for each show.

"A hallmark of the show is the variety," he said. "I've been a car nut for as long as I can remember. I've designed race cars and been to all the car museums and the car shows, but we do get cars there occasionally that even I haven't seen before, and that's so exciting to me.”

The show adopted a virtual format for two years due to the pandemic and took a year off before returning in 2024. Lynn says that support from community members and social media aided in the decision to revive the annual event, and he's excited to see it regain its prior momentum.

Since its inception, Skinner and Lynn have planned and organized each event alongside a team of volunteers, but as part of its evolution, the show will now be facilitated by the School of Industrial Design.

The 2025 Georgia Tech Auto Show will take place in the heart of campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free to attend. Participants will park their cars on the walkways surrounding the East and West Architecture Buildings, Koan Plaza, and Texas Instruments Plaza.

Vehicle registration for the show remains open through Friday. Classic antique cars, late-model modified cars, 4×4 off-road trucks, hot rods, cars modified with alternative power delivery (electric, fuel cell), daily-drivers, kit cars, race cars, concept cars, prototype cars, and all kinds of motorcycles are encouraged to participate.

For more information, visit the show’s website.

Subtitle

The revived annual event returns to campus Saturday, giving car enthusiasts a chance to share their passion.

Summary sentence

The revived annual event returns to campus Saturday, giving car enthusiasts a chance to share their passion.

Summary

The revived annual event returns to campus Saturday, giving car enthusiasts a chance to share their passion.

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Wed, 03/26/2025 - 12:00

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Steven Gagliano - Institute Communications

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681388

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Wed, 03/26/2025 - 14:45

Winning Fall Capstone Teams Unravel Solutions to Problems in Salons, Trauma Rooms

dgivens8 — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:52:41 +0000

Winning Fall Capstone Teams Unravel Solutions to Problems in Salons, Trauma Rooms dgivens8 Fri, 03/22/2024 - 11:52

A new tool to help hair stylists quickly unravel braids and a device to rapidly warm blood before it’s transfused into patients shared top honors at the Fall 2023 Capstone Design Expo.

That’s right: Two teams tied for the best overall project award this semester at the showcase of senior projects by engineering, industrial design, and computer science students.

They were among 129 devices and ideas on display at McCamish Pavilion that included everything from a portable sterilizer for surgical instruments to a redesigned logistics system for UPS Healthcare. The teams designed rovers to hunt for water on the moon, revamped recycling processes for Georgia Tech Dining, and simplified placing stakes for specialty crop farmers.

Get the full story on the College of Engineering website.

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Students show off senior projects that teach STEM concepts, help farmers, and redesign logistics for big Atlanta companies.

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Students show off senior projects that teach STEM concepts, help farmers, and redesign logistics for big Atlanta companies.

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Mon, 12/04/2023 - 12:00

jstewart@gatech.edu

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Fri, 03/22/2024 - 11:52

Kendra Garcia, Designing the Future

admin — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 22:45:41 +0000

Kendra Garcia, Designing the Future admin Thu, 12/14/2023 - 17:45

Kendra Garcia’s academic journey includes a blend of mechanical engineering, business, and fine art. That is what led the first-generation student from Marietta, Georgia, to earn a bachelor’s degree in industrial design.

“I want to design the future,” she said. “Industrial design shapes the future through creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. It is where imagination meets function, turning ideas into real solutions. This major enables people to create products and experiences that revolutionize industries, improve daily life, and contribute to a brighter future.”

As an undergraduate, Garcia worked as a research assistant for a year with STEM @ GTRI, a K-12 outreach program, designing content for middle and high school students as well as teachers in Georgia. “I worked on collaborative projects such as Direct to Discovery, CyberStart America, and Georgia Tech’s high school internship program which reached more than 12,000 students.”

She also had an internship with Columbia Records, working in digital production and handling digital assets for the artists. She designed landing pages for artists’ websites, and created visual language and graphic design. She also designed digital campaign content for various social media outlets including Spotify, Instagram, and TikTok.

“One of my aspirations was to design for my favorite artists, including Beyoncé, Rosalia, Miley Cyrus, Baby Keem, Tyler the Creator, Girl in Red, Rauw Alejandro, and others,” she said. “This year, I had the extraordinary chance to turn my dream into reality at Columbia Records. It was an incredibly surreal experience, and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity and the invaluable insights I gained.”

Garcia, who participated in CREATE-X and Female Founders at Georgia Tech, said she will cherish the friendships she made at Tech and the vibrant studio culture. She plans to pursue a master’s in human computer interaction, delving deeper into UX/UI research. “I’m eager to refine my expertise and venture into opportunities within the realm of design.”

She will celebrate Commencement with her parents, younger sister, and cousins.

Subtitle

Industrial design graduate wants to help revolutionize industries and improve daily life.

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Industrial design graduate wants to help revolutionize industries and improve daily life.

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Industrial design graduate wants to help revolutionize industries and improve daily life.

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Fri, 12/15/2023 - 12:00

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Victor Rogers

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Thu, 12/14/2023 - 17:44

Industrial Design

Thesis on Human-Centered AI Earns Honors from International Computing Organization

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