Meet the team

	M. Bernardine Dias Assistant Research Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Founder and Director, TechBridgeWorld, Carnegie Mellon University Co-Founder and Co-Director, Qri8 Robotics Lab, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Email: bdias 'AT' qatar.cmu.edu
	M. Freddie Dias Research Engineer, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University Technical Consultant, TechBridgeWorld, Carnegie Mellon University Email: mfdias 'AT' ri.cmu.edu
	Sarah Belousov Staff, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University Project Manager, TechBridgeWorld, Carnegie Mellon University Email: sarahtbw 'AT' ri.cmu.edu
	Ermine A. Teves Staff, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University Project Assistant, TechBridgeWorld, Carnegie Mellon University Email: eteves 'AT' cs.cmu.edu
	Ameer Abdulsalam Research Programmer, Computer Science Department, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Member, Qri8 Robotics Lab, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Email: ameer 'AT' cmu.edu
	Samitha Ekanayake Senior Research Engineer, Computer Science Department, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Member, Qri8 Robotics Lab, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar Email: samitha 'AT' cmu.edu
	M. Beatrice Dias Engineering and Public Policy Ph.D. Student, Carnegie Mellon University Graduate Student Representative, TechBridgeWorld, Carnegie Mellon University Email: beadias 'AT' cmu.edu

Participating Research Labs

TechBridgeWorld is a research group based in the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University that innovates and field tests technology solutions to meet sustainable development needs around the world. Working closely with local partners who understand the needs of specific communities, TechBridgeWorld contributes its technical expertise to help realize the community’s vision of development by inventing new tools, customizing existing technology, and inspiring the community’s future technologists.

The Qri8 Robotics Lab is a research group based in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar that advances the state of the art in robotics to create technology of impact to the community and to industry. Working closely on research projects with university students and partner institutions, the Qri8 Lab also seeks to educate the next generation of roboticists and computer scientists through courses, research projects, internships, outreach events, and other activities that engage the youth in Qatar.

Past team members

	Imran Fanaswala Research Programmer
	Hend Gedawy Research Assistant
	Wael Ghazzawi Research Engineer

Back to top

Learn about our collaborators

Our Sponsors

The Assistive Educational Technology project, formally known as "Enhanced Education for the Visually and Aurally Impaired Using Automated Tutors and Interactive Computer Games," is a National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) project generously supported by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). Research on this project began in 2008.

The objective of the QNRF NPRP is to foster a research culture in Qatar by:

1. Building human capital in Qatar
2. Funding research to benefit the nation, the region, and the world.
3. Raising Qatar's profile in the international research community.

Our Partners

The following institutions and organizations have made our assistive educational technology research possible in Qatar, the U.S., and around the world:

• Asian University for Women, Bangladesh
• Young Power in Social Action, Bangladesh
• Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind, India
• Al-Noor Institute for the Blind, Qatar
• Educational Hearing Girls School, Qatar
• Mada – Qatar Assistive Technology Center, Qatar
• Qatar Cultural & Social Center for Deaf, Qatar
• Uhuru Mchanganyiko Primary School, Tanzania
• University Computing Centre, Tanzania
• Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, U.S.
• Golden Triangle Council of the Blind, U.S.
• Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, U.S.
• Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, U.S.
• Project Educate, Zambia
• Sefula School for the Visually Impaired, Zambia

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Spring '13 15-239 Software Development for Social Good and 15-237 Cross-Platform Mobile Web Apps course students for their research contributions to our Assistive Educational Technology project. Through their coursework, they enhanced the Automated Braille Writing Tutor, Standalone Braille Writing Tutor and Tactile Graphics projects. The research outcomes will contribute to longer-term work undertaken by the TechBridgeWorld team.

We thank the following people for their time and their support for our project:

• Kamal Ahmad
• Saif Ali Al-Hajari
• Faleh Al Naimi
• Ali Obaid Al-Sanari
• Hia Obaid Al-Sanari
• Yasser Al-Shaffii
• Abd-Al-Wahid Abu-Khalil
• Suleiman M.Abu Azab
• Eric Beda
• Vashkar Bhattacharjee
• Meg Denton
• Dr. Hayat Khalil Hassan Nazar Heji
• Dr. Faheem Hussain
• Anirban Lahiri
• Barbara Goodman
• Dr. Theresa Kaijage
• Joyce Maravich
• Ditrick Mkwela
• Mwalimu Mkuu Saidizi
• Gubbi R. Muktha
• Professor Beda Mutagahywa
• Mr. Ngodu
• Mr. Noah
• Spero Papakis
• Md. Arifur Rahman
• Todd Reeves
• Sheila Resseger
• Sherif Said
• Sabine Sandros
• Vinithra Varadharajan
• Mr. and Mrs. Wassermann
• Many teachers and students from our partner schools

Back to top

Qri8 Robotics Lab