Pradnya Desai Awarded in Startup Competition, Off to Microsoft

Pradnya Desai, a senior computer science major, made it her mission to accomplish as much as possible during her four years at NJIT, amassing an impressive resume that includes multiple awards and recognitions for her work combining technological invention with a desire to positively affect society.

Her most recent achievement, a startup idea called Ad-Connect, recently won the Audience Choice Award for Best Pitch at the 2022 University Pitch Competition of The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE-NJ), which includes $500 and a one-year membership to TiE. The project previously received a $3,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program grant, which funded testing the viability of this project in neurodiverse learning environments.

Ad-Connect, an idea that took roots in the YWCC Technology Startup Course (CS 485) taught by Senior University Lecturer Suresh Kumar, aims to build a solution for children with ADHD to develop social skills by use of a virtual reality application. With more than 2.8 million children experiencing ADHD in the U.S., many are more likely to be bullied - or become bullies themselves in some cases - which leads to withdrawal and impedes their development. Desai's winning proposal will create a multiplayer game requiring groups of two to three children who must work as a team using easy-to-follow instructions. Her vision will enhance the social development of young people by engaging them in something they truly enjoy and are motivated to continue.

Desai will start work at Microsoft after graduation

Desai used a portion of the funding to attend national and international conferences on ADHD and VR to gather foundational research and interview academic experts, behavioral practitioners and families. Her initial visit to the Augmented World Expo in Silicon Valley was serendipitous in informing a significant early pivot involving the use of VR as opposed to augmented reality (AR).

While AR incorporates a combination of actual surroundings with holograms, VR completely blocks out external distractions. This is of paramount importance for individuals with ADHD who have challenges with concentration and focus.

"This was literally a game changer," said Desai.

The revelatory discovery allowed her concept to quickly progress to the nascent stage of development as she explored practical applications while continuing to interview ADHD coaches, psychologists and parents who acted as advisors.

"Pradnya Desai is an outstanding example of a highly driven student who has taken maximum advantage of the opportunities that NJIT has to offer," said Kumar. "Her intellectual curiosity and passion for positively affecting the real world has left an indelible mark for success with us. You really cannot ask for more from a student."

Desai's early volunteer work with ADHD children was the inspiration to begin exploring how to bring her idea to life in Professor Suresh Kumar's class. It was Kumar who encouraged her to apply for the NSF I-Corps grant.

Creating a better world through improving alternate learning has always been a guiding principle for Desai. Her 2.5 years of research in computer science with Professor Hai Phan's AI for Social Good Lab team allowed her to build a formal connection between continual learning and differential privacy, which culminated in the publishing of her research paper of title and earned her recognition as a National Center for Women & Information Technology Collegiate Award finalist. The research investigates how to make machine learning closer to human learning while also making it more secure.

Desai's other activities and achievements are almost too numerous to mention. She has served as president of the Women in Computing Society (WiCS), created the NJIT Law Journal as president of NJIT's Pre-Law Society, and written and edited articles for the Honors Newsletter as well the Honors Technology Observer Magazine.

"Anybody can have a great idea but not everyone has the resources to make that idea a reality," said Desai. "Helping someone bring their vision to life by providing them with the resources to overcome challenges benefits every individual that idea impacts."

Outside of technology, she acted as Community Service Chair of Girl Up, an organization affiliated with the United Nations, where she spearheaded an initiative to help improve awareness on menstrual health in developing countries.For her efforts, Girl Up received the Student Organization of the Year Award.

"Everything I do has meaning because I want to do it. And when you want to do something, you find the time to do it, so I don't feel busy," Desai said.

Remarking on her entire NJIT experience, she added, "You never get the freedom to explore so many different things in one place like you can at NJIT."

Desai has already accepted a position as a software engineer at Microsoft in Seattle, working on network virtualization technologies. She starts there in fall of 2022.

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