On Dec. 15, 2021, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) recognized its 2021 Distinguished Members, including Professor Nalini Venkatasubramanian of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS).

“Each year we are excited to recognize a new class of ACM Distinguished Members for their professional achievements, as well as their longstanding membership with ACM,” explained ACM President Gabriele Kotsis in the announcement. “The Distinguished Members program is a way both to celebrate the trailblazing work of our members, and to underscore how participation with a professional society enhances one’s career growth.”

Venkatasubramanian was one of eight people recognized for outstanding engineering contributions to computing. Her research focuses on enabling effective management and use of resources in the evolving global information infrastructure. She has led several efforts to develop smart communities, including one project focused on a Smart Water Data-Exchange (SWADE) framework and another (SPARx Cal) focused on technologies that enable wildfire resilience.

Her latest project, “CareDEX: Enabling Disaster Resilience in Aging Communities via a Secure Data Exchange,” is a $1 million collaboration that aims to make it easier for caregivers at senior housing facilities to share real-time critical care information with authorized responders.

The ACM Distinguished Members program, initiated in 2006, recognizes those members with at least 15 years of professional experience who have made significant accomplishments or achieved a significant impact on the computing field. ACM Distinguished Membership recognizes up to 10% of ACM’s top members.

— Shani Murray