Nidhi Nellore, a third-year doctoral student in the Computer Science program at Marquette University, was a finalist in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition that was held on Friday, Feb. 23, in the Weasler Auditorium. The 3MT is a global research competition that challenges participants to effectively explain their research in three minutes or less to a non-specialist audience. Participants can win prizes and represent Marquette University at the regional competition.
Nellore’s 3MT presentation was titled, “Decoding Digital Health: Unraveling Sentiments and Topics in Femtech App Reviews in the Post-Dobbs Era.” Nellore has been working with Dr. Michael Zimmer in the Social and Ethical Computing Lab. Her research investigates Femtech, which combines technology and women’s health, to understand how mobile apps address user needs and privacy concerns, especially following significant legal rulings like the Dobbs decision. Nellore’s research aims to improve women’s healthcare by providing insights into user experiences, privacy safeguards, and recommendations for app developers.
When asked why she chose to participate in the 3MT Competition, Nellore noted, “the experience offered a unique chance to present my work to a wider audience. It is also important to let the public know that we are working towards research that can help solve important issues.” Nellore ultimately hopes her research will help to enhance Femtech apps to be more user-friendly, feature-rich, and secure, ensuring that women can access effective healthcare while maintaining their privacy in the digital age.
In addition to being a finalist at 3MT, Nellore recently won 3rd place in the 2024 Graduate School Research Poster Competition and has presented multiple research projects at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world’s largest educational and scientific society which unites computing educators, researchers and professionals to share resources and address the challenges in the field of computing.
When Nellore is not engaged in research, she enjoys spending time cooking, dancing, or hanging out with her dog.
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