About Me

I am a Computer Science PhD student in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. I work with Dr. Ellen Zegura at the Computing and Society Lab. My research focuses on measuring and characterizing Internet access and quality of coverage in underserved communities, particularly in tribal lands in the United States. My goal is to inform policy and technological efforts in the pursuit of digital inclusion.

I was previously a software engineer at Indica Labs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I worked as the team lead for the collaborative web application, HALO Link. I received my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at The University of New Mexico where I also completed a minor in Fine Arts through the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media program.

Papers and Presentations

Beatriz Palacios Abad, Morgan Vigil-Hayes, Ellen Zegura
ACM SIGCHI Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) 2023
Beatriz Palacios Abad, Elizabeth Belding, Morgan Vigil-Hayes, Ellen Zegura
ACM SIGCAS/SIGCHI Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies (COMPASS) 2022
Advocacy and Solidarity with Marginalized Communities
Beatriz Palacios Abad
CLIHC 2021 Workshop on Citational Practices
Measuring and Improving Underserved Community Access
Beatriz Palacios Abad, Elizabeth Belding, Morgan Vigil-Hayes, Ellen Zegura
NSF Workshop on Overcoming Measurement Barriers to Internet Research (WOMBIR 2021)
Christian Boylston, Beatriz Palacios, Plamen Tassev, Amy Bruckman
Design of Online Communities, Spring 2020 (not peer reviewed)

Projects

CellWatch - An open-source cellular network measurement suite in collaboration with researchers at UC Santa Barbara and Northern Arizona University.
HikerNet - A research project at Georgia Tech designed to crowdsource cellular network measurements on hiking trails.
Grawnola - An interactive visualization to learn about carbon footprint and to explore how you can offset your own CO₂ emitting behviors.

Teaching and Mentorship Experience

Head Graduate Teaching Assistant

Jan 2022 - May 2022
College of Computing; Georgia Tech

CS 4472/6470: Design of Online Communities

  • Instructor: Amy Bruckman
  • Class size: 119

Graduate Teaching Assistant & Guest Lecturer

May 2020 - Jul 2020
College of Computing; Georgia Tech

CS 4001: Computing & Society

  • Instructor: Daniel Schiff
  • Class size: 41

Volunteer Facilitator

Oct 2018 - Jul 2019
Girls Who Code; Albuquerque, NM

Grading Assistant

Aug 2016 - May 2017
Department of Cinematic Arts; University of New Mexico

Math Tutor

Aug 2015 - Dec 2015
Center for Academic Program Support; University of New Mexico

Professional Experience

Software Engineer

Jul 2018 - Jul 2019
Indica Labs; Albuquerque, NM

Software Developer Intern

Jan 2018 - Jun 2018
Indica Labs; Corrales, NM

Digital Media Intern

May 2016 - Jan 2017
New Mexico Innovation Laboratory; Rio Rancho, NM