Carrollton Junior High School recently issued the following announcement.
Public health project recognized for historic impact
In this ongoing series, we reach out to CHS alumni to learn what they are doing now that they have the advantage of experience, education and self-reflection. This month’s pick is Amanda Peagler, Class of 2010. Amanda, a research scientist for the Georgia Institute of Technology and its nonprofit arm, Georgia Tech Research Institute, recently received recognition for work to improve the implementation efforts of the free rapid COVID-19 home tests currently under national distribution by the U.S. government.
EDUCATIONAL PURSUITS: Following high school, Amanda, who was a member of the band and tennis team as a Trojan, earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from Georgia Tech. “Sometimes described as ‘small-scale architecture,’ it's a pretty vague field. I like to think of ID as a thoughtful design of anything – physical or digital.” She then earned a master’s in Building Construction at Tech in 2018. “As a designer, I wanted to understand the constraints and possibilities of the built environment.”
Amanda, her husband Chad, and their dog Zelda enjoy walks along the Chattahoochee River in downtown Columbus.
EMPLOYMENT: Over the past nine years, Amanda has worked her way up from an undergraduate research assistant to Research Scientist II in a joint appointment at Georgia Tech and GTRI. “Most of my research focuses on human factors and accessibility. I've also worked on projects in patient-centered design and public health. In general, my team and I focus on how people use products and move through processes, and then determine how to improve the experience. Since April of 2020, my primary work has focused on making sure rapid tests for COVID-19 are usable and ready for the public. It's very exciting knowing the direct impact we're having right now.”
PERSONAL: Amanda and her husband, Chad, married in the summer of 2020 and reside in Columbus, Ga. They have a cat and a dog and are expecting their first baby this May.
HOBBIES: “Although on hold while I'm pregnant, I love running and even ran a marathon in November of 2019. I also enjoy cooking from scratch and gardening. I find a thrill in cutting conveniences and providing for my family in ways that our grandparents' generation did. I would like to eventually grow much of my family's everyday food needs.”
PROFESSIONAL ASPIRATIONS: “I hope to continually learn from the brilliant people I get to work with and stay curious in seeking creative and innovative solutions to problems. The fun part of being a usability researcher is that learning and listening are essential parts of the job. If I go into a project and let my own opinions and biases get in the way of discovery, I'm not doing my job correctly. Keeping that curious mindset as time goes on is incredibly important to me. I hope to continue to show value in this type of research to bring in more opportunities that can make an impact. And lastly, I hope to be a good mentor for younger usability researchers.”
PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS: “I want to continue to grow as a person rooted in kindness, acceptance, and love. The best thing I can hope for is for my future children to learn and live those things from the example set in our home.”
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO FOCUS ON USING YOUR SKILL SET FOR THE BETTERMENT OF SOCIETY AS A WHOLE? “When I ended up getting a job at GTRI to make some extra money and to add as a line item on my resume, one of my first assignments was to study how people with mobility limitations performed everyday tasks in their homes. It was amazing to see how the world was largely not built for people with limitations, even in their own homes! This opened my eyes and heart for people whose experiences are not taken into account in the design for the built environment. Since then, I've seen my job as giving those people a seat at the table in the design process, in hopes that user experience and accessibility considerations will become a more standard part of all design, not an afterthought.”
Original source can be found here.
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