Advancing knowledge and practice wherever people interact with information and technology

Ph.D. student Emma Lurie is the recipient of a 2022 Outstanding Graduate Student Peer Mentor Award from the UC Berkeley Graduate Division and Graduate Assembly. 

“Mentorship from high school science teachers, debate team coaches, college professors, research lab mates, and the I School Ph.D. student community has been integral to my development as a person and researcher,” said Lurie, when asked why she gives her time to mentorship. “As a prospective Ph.D. student, I was drawn to the I School’s supportive environment. In part, I view peer mentorship as part of being a good community member as an I School Ph.D. student.”

The National Science Foundation has awarded UC Berkeley researcher Niloufar Salehi and others a grant to develop language translation technology for high-stakes settings like hospitals. The new interpreter-like bot will translate text-based conversations and identify and provide guidance when a miscommunication appears to be occurring.

Additionally, Salehi was accepted in March to the William T. Grant Scholars Program’s class of 2026. The program supports promising early-career researchers. Salehi will use these funds to study the unintended impacts of school assignment algorithms and to redesign a school assignment policy in partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District.