From Alan Borning: borning@cs.washington.edu
subject: looking for a student for a research project on developing a web platform for scholar/activists
I have a research project, in collaboration with Lance Bennett in Communication/Political Science and others, on building a platform for scholar/activists working on integrated approaches to problems in sustainability, rethinking the economy, and reinvigorating democracy. I’m looking for a CSE undergrad who would like to work on this for a senior project (or it could be a 5th year MS student). The specific project would be to build a web platform using Ruby on Rails. We already have an Art & Design student who has done some great work on the visuals and some of the interaction elements, but need someone to actually implement it.
The initial aim is to get a prototype up and running soon, but after that, there are also some research questions that could be investigated, for example, on how to sustain participation, and how to support key values such as fairness, listening, and accountability. The principal skill needed is Rails development experience (or the ability to come up to speed quickly on it). Other useful background is HCI experience in iterative development and user testing, and a strong interest in environmental/political issues.
Unfortunately we don’t have any money for this right now, so this would be for CSE 498 or 499 credits rather than pay.
Please send me an email if you are interesting, including information on your background and interests. Thanks!
Alan Borning: borning@cs.washington.edu