June 10, 2024
In Pittsburgh, 1 in 5 residents experience food insecurity, and up to 40 percent of food that is produced goes to waste. Food waste and insecurity negatively harm communities and the environment, and SCI faculty member Dr. Ryan Shi, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science (CS), is reducing these harmful effects with his research project, “AI-based Volunteer Engagement for Crowdsourcing.”
Shi (pictured second from left) received the John C. Mascaro faculty award for the project, as well as the 2024 Newell Award for Research Excellence from Carnegie Mellon University alongside his PhD advisor, Dr. Fei Fang. Shi’s research collaborates with 412 Food Rescue, a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh that provides food to underprivileged communities facing food insecurity.
Shi and his team developed an app for 412 Food Rescue. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven models, the app notifies volunteers when a “food rescue,” or food delivery to an underprivileged community, is available to claim. The cutting-edge notification system matches volunteers with opportunities to increase volunteer engagement and optimize the number of food deliveries made per day.
Shi’s research is beneficial not just to 412 Food Rescue, but many other nonprofits in the Pittsburgh area and beyond. Many nonprofits struggle with volunteer recruitment and retention. These algorithms drive volunteer engagement, improving retention in an accessible and effective way.
“The big picture of my PhD research and my current research is volunteer engagement. These algorithms have the potential to address food waste and food insecurity, as well as help other nonprofits with their sustainability efforts,” said Shi.
The 2024 Newell Award for Research Excellence is given out annually by Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science (SCS) to a faculty member and student, current or former, based on their research contributions. Shi received the award at the school’s Founders Day, which celebrates SCS and the school’s founders.
The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation 2024-25 awards support faculty conducting sustainability research at Pitt with seed grants and faculty fellow awards. CS faculty members Daniel Mossé (professor and interim chair), Stephen Lee (assistant professor), and Nadine von Frankenberg (teaching assistant professor) also received the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation 2024-25 award for their project, “Sustainable (Campus) Buildings through Sensing and Human-Building Interaction,” which can be read about here.
Please join us in congratulating Shi on this achievement! View other award recipients and photos from SCS’s Founders Day.
--Alyssa Morales