Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship: Sparking Curiosity

August 3, 2021

At Adobe Research, we bring together the most innovative people we can find and give them the freedom to explore and invent new technologies. To encourage more gender diversity in this effort, Adobe Research created the Women-in-Technology Scholarship.

Each year, we select new scholars—all outstanding female undergraduate and master’s students who are studying computer science, computer engineering, or closely related technical fields at North American universities. Even though applications for the 2022 season are now closed, you can check our program page to learn about future application opportunities.

Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholars pour their cutting-edge ideas and novel approaches into their work in computer science and engineering. Here, our 2021 scholars shared with us what truly sparks their curiosity about the fields they are studying.

Healy Dwyer
Carnegie Mellon University
Studying human-computer interaction sparks my curiosity due to its applicability to such a wide range of fields. Understanding the way people are affected by the technology in our lives will allow me to better design and build tools such as robotic home assistants or city transportation applications and work to ensure that these systems are equitable and accessible.

Isabel Gallegos
Stanford University
I love using computer science to find hidden patterns and meaning in data. I am excited by the power of using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science to help inform solutions that will address societal challenges, and I am motivated by the impact I hope to have on my community and the world.

Tamar Geller
Yale University
I am inspired to learn how I can use technology to improve the quality of living for people, even if just a little bit. From how transistors amplify electronic signals to complex algorithms, my curiosity drives me to understand these phenomena and put them to use. Modern technology has so much to offer and my goal is to unlock at least some of that technology for good.

Shinjini Ghosh
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bringing together natural language processing, cognitive sciences, and linguistics could bring us to the next big computational breakthrough. These fields are critical in helping us create a computer that can do “everything.” It is also intriguing to delve into the language acquisition and comprehension processes of the human brain, and to see if we can apply similar methodologies to new technological innovations.

Brenda Henriquez  
George Mason University        
Ever since my first computer science class, I was naturally drawn to the magic of creating projects. Since then, I have worked on creating a computer science trivia bot, a browser extension offering women-owned business alternatives to other products, and a volunteer community mobile app. Simply, the journey of creating is intuitively fulfilling.

Lalitha Kuppa      
Virginia Tech
The creative and innovative aspects of computer systems spark my curiosity. Being able to push the boundaries in collaborative efforts and having a direct impact on society is empowering. This motivates me to move forward and explore what’s possible in the realm of computing.

Sadie Levy
Northeastern University
What sparks my curiosity the most about computer engineering is the opportunity for problem solving and the variety of applications. I’m curious about both software and hardware, and computer engineering lets me explore both! Computer engineering can be used within so many tech fields that I am interested in, from physical devices that provide accessibility to even VR game development.

Annie Liu
University of Washington
I study human computer interaction because I’m passionate about designing new and more meaningful ways to interact with technology. I’m inspired by what happens at the intersection of art and technology. That’s why in my studies, I’m most curious about how human-centered technology can better serve creatives and bring people closer together.

Nicole Meister
Princeton University
I am interested in researching and studying computer vision and natural language processing, particularly because these systems could amplify and perpetuate bias. If these technologies are deployed in society, it is imperative that they help everyone. I am curious about developing bias mitigation techniques to accomplish that goal.

Maxine Perroni-Scharf
Dartmouth University
I love to code and I love to create beautiful visual effects, and computer graphics lies perfectly at this intersection of art and science. I am fascinated by the potential of using deep learning applications for applying computer graphics to augmented and virtual reality. In particular, I am very excited for the future potential of creating immersive, hyper-realistic generated environments.

Prerna Ravi
Georgia Institute of Technology
I am fascinated by the enormous potential of technology for improving education, particularly in underrepresented contexts. I aim to leverage my experience from my research and teaching assistantships, as well as my software engineering internships, to build applications that enhance the delivery and access to education across society, ranging from the differently abled to marginalized communities in developing nations.

Nana Aba Turkson
Mount Holyoke College
I love that coding offers me the opportunity to build and design exciting applications or tech that could potentially impact the lives of people around the world. I also love the challenge and adventure of doing something I have never done before and never thought I could venture into, and then get to prove myself wrong. It is mind blowing.

Mary Zhu
Stanford University
The fact that technology can be leveraged to tangibly elevate marginalized and unprivileged communities has always been striking to me. The desire to further unlock the power of computer science on society’s most pressing problems has been the driving force behind my curiosity about human computer interaction and artificial intelligence.

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