The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computer Systems is a prestigious annual conference that unites researchers and practitioners globally on the topic of Human-Computer Interaction. Commonly referred to as CHI, the conference took place in Hamburg, Germany, where nearly 4,000 researchers attended. One of the attendees was Kelly McConvey, the Program Coordinator and Instructor in our Professional Writing – Communications program.
Kelly, who is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Human-Centered Algorithm Design, and her co-authors submitted their research paper for peer review in September 2022 to be considered for the conference. After making it through the first round of submissions for revision in November of the same year, the paper was selected in January 2023. This meant that only four months later, Kelly could attend the conference and present the findings from the paper.
NAVIGATING THE CONFERENCE
When Kelly arrived in Hamburg, she was immersed in the fully-packed itinerary that the conference had set. From various sessions to workshops and discussions, the five-day conference was thoughtfully organized, with the majority of the days split into four session blocks where attendees could choose from the multitude of sessions available. Kelly shares that she was particularly interested in the sessions and papers that focused on human-centred data science.
Looking back at her experience at the conference, she shares, “It was so nice to feel part of a community in-person again. I think the most memorable part for me was the feeling of being surrounded by such an impressive group of people who all share the same interest, and maybe even concern, that I do about the technologies and algorithms that have become so ubiquitous in our lives.” She continues, “It was an overwhelmingly optimistic conference and exactly the kind of encouragement you need to keep doing this kind of slow, incremental work towards progress.
THE PRESENTATION
During the “Education and Support” session, Kelly presented her and her co-authors’ research paper, A Human-Centered Review of Algorithms in Decision-Making in Higher Education. Since the conference was hybrid, Kelly also submitted a video of the presentation for virtual attendees.
Kelly presented to the attendees and shared that it went better than she had hoped. “I’m used to being in a classroom presenting in front of students, but this was the first time presenting my research in front of an academic audience, so I was somewhat uncharacteristically nervous! I had very supportive friends from my lab present, which made all the difference.”
She adds, “It was incredibly satisfying and an honour to present this work to the research community at such an international venue. My work focuses on higher education, and it was great to see how the work was received by researchers and those working in Higher Ed themselves. The questions that were asked were so thoughtful and also thought-provoking; it was motivating to see the audience really engaging in my work.”
Congratulations, Kelly, on such an exciting accomplishment!
Written by: Alexandra Few
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