Andrea Grimes Parker facts for kids

Andrea Grimes Parker is an amazing American computer scientist and researcher. She is also a professor who studies how people interact with computers, especially when it comes to personal health. This field is called human-computer interaction (HCI). Currently, she is an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) School of Interactive Computing. She also teaches at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

About Andrea Grimes Parker

Her Early Life and Education

Andrea Elaina Grimes was born to Octavia R. Grimes and Vincent E. Grimes. Her parents are African American. Her father worked for the public defender's office in Santa Clara County, California. Her mother was a nurse case manager with Kaiser Permanente in San Jose.

In 2004, Andrea was chosen as one of two representatives from the United States. She attended the World Association for Cooperative Education Conference that year. She studied at Northeastern University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in 2005. While at Northeastern, she was a member of two honor societies: Phi Kappa Phi and Upsilon Pi Epsilon. These societies recognize students with excellent academic achievements.

In 2010, she married Lonnie Thomas Parker IV, who was a classmate at Georgia Tech. After her marriage, she changed her name to Andrea Grimes Parker. She received her PhD from Georgia Tech in 2011. Her doctoral advisor, a mentor for her advanced studies, was Rebecca E. Grinter. Her PhD project was about designing health technology that considers different cultures and communities.

Her Research Work

Dr. Parker's research mainly focuses on how people use computers and how groups of people work together with technology. These areas are known as human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW).

In 2010, Dr. Parker and her team presented a game called OrderUP! at a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. This game was designed to help people learn how to make healthy food choices. It used a special model to encourage people to change their habits.

In 2013, Dr. Parker started a social media platform. This platform allowed people in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston to share tips about their workouts. These people were part of a weekly gym program.

She has also studied how digital fitness trackers and social networks affect us. She looks at how they can motivate us, help us plan for the future, and change our behavior. Dr. Parker is especially interested in helping people who face extra challenges. She wants to understand how technology can truly support them, beyond just tracking data.

From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Parker worked as a National Evaluator for the Aetna Foundation. In this role, she assessed projects that used mobile health tools in communities. These tools helped people manage their health using phones and other devices.

From 2018 to 2019, Dr. Parker was a Faculty Scholar at Northeastern University's Institute of Health Equity and Social Justice Research. This institute works to make sure everyone has a fair chance to be healthy, no matter their background.

Her Teaching Role

Dr. Parker founded and directs the Wellness Technology Research Lab at Georgia Tech. This lab explores new ways technology can support well-being.

She is currently an Associate Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) School of Interactive Computing. She also holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Before these roles, she was an Assistant Professor at Northeastern University. There, she held positions in both the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the Bouvé College of Health Sciences.