About Me
Welcome to my website for the Distributed Research Apprenticeships for Master’s (DREAM) program! My name is Basel Hindi, and I am pursuing a Master’s degree in computer science at Columbia University (expected graduation in December 2023). My research interests include computer vision, deep learning, and human-computer interaction, and the usage of these tools for improving accessibility and system autonomy.
I graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. I then worked in industry for three years doing autonomous vehicle R&D. Throughout my time in industry, I developed a passion for CS, and more specifically, for computer vision and artificial intelligence. The CS@CU MS Bridge program offered me a unique opportunity to transition into the world of graduate level CS by first providing the necessary coursework for non-CS undergrads.
About My Advisor
Dr. Brian A. Smith is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, and the director of the Computer-Enabled Abilities Laboratory (CEAL). He is also a Research Scientist in the Human–Computer Interaction research team at Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat and Spectacles. His research goal is to develop computers that can grant people the ability to perceive and interact with the world around them. His approach is interdisciplinary and incorporates AI, accessibility, computer vision, game design, and social computing.
About My Project
Sports Accessibility from Pixels: This project is led by Ph.D. student Gaurav Jain, and it aims to enhance gameplay understanding of tennis for blind and visually impaired people using an immersive audio design. This work utilizes a computer vision architecture to dissect the components of a broadcasted tennis video including the court, players, and ball, and then converts those components to a digestible spatialized audio for blind and low-vision users.
