Yorktown Student to Present Science Research Project at Premier International Conference

For Nithin Santhanam, a Wii remote controller is more than just a cool gadget that he uses to play games with his friends. 

The 17-year-old senior has made the remote a part of his ongoing science research into improving the accessibility and user experience of web-browsing for people with disabilities.

Nithin will travel to Scotland this week to share his research at the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, the premier international forum for presenting innovative research on the design and use of assistive technologies. 

All submissions to present at the major conference were reviewed by professionals in the field and Nithin was selected for an Oct. 24 slot in the poster session.

"What stands out about Nithin, is how he combines his talent for science and engineering with his sense of wanting to help others—and his dedication to make a difference," said Michael Blueglass, a science teacher at the high school and director of the school’s Science Research Program.

The three-year course is offered in sophomore year to provide students with a chance to pursue scientific research at a college graduate level in a particular area of interest.

Although Nithin was drawn to computers and engineering when he joined the program, he said, he wanted his project to be useful and have a real impact on people.

"The Wii controller has a lot of unique functions that appeal to people’s senses," he said. "It is popular and I thought it would have a lot of potential as a mouse or cursor to enhance web-browsing.”

After several trips with Trewin to the United Cerebral Palsy Center in Long Island, he began to understand the particular needs of individuals with different impairments and pondered how the device might help solve some of the problems for users.

His father Peter Santhanam, who his Nithin refers to as a “brilliant guy,” works at IBM and put him in touch with a mentor in the field of human-computer interactions. When that researcher, Shari Trewin—a renowned specialist who works to improve the usability of technology for those with motor impairments—took the student under her wing, a project was born.

The research project evolved to become an evaluation of customizable software components interacting with a modified Wii remote. His goal has been to design systems that would make it easier and more enjoyable for people of different abilities to use the web.

"I am tremendously proud of my son,” Nithin's mother Hema Santhanam said. "He really rose to the occasion and went for a project with a lot of academic rigor while remaining true to his desire to help people—it was heartwarming to see his kindness as he conducted experiments at the United Cerebral Palsy Center."

When he is not pursuing scientific endeavors, the Yorktown native said he likes to play baseball, make his friends laugh and hang around with his dog. He credits his parents, mentor and science teacher for encouraging him to explore and refine his areas of interest, which include the study of bio-medical engineering at college next fall.

“I do really well at things I like,” he said.

For more information on the The 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, click here.