Human-AI Technology Lab at UVA

Andrew Balch is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Computer Science in the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science. He has a special interest in applying computer science, machine learning, and data science to inform and aid in social issues, including how technology impacts society and perpetuates injustice. He is a two-time Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fellow, was acknowledged by the Computer Science department’s Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award for 2022-2023, and was an Honorable Mention for the same award for 2023-2024.

Fun fact: I love rock climbing, both bouldering and sport climbing!

Projects

Nutrition
Nutrition Leveraging ubiquitous devices to gain insights into micronutrient status.

Past Projects

Reinforcement Learning
Reinforcement Learning Using human knowledge to improve the real-world utility of reinforcement learning.

Publications

Towards an Accessible, Noninvasive Micronutrient Status Assessment Method: A Comprehensive Review of Existing Techniques
Towards an Accessible, Noninvasive Micronutrient Status Assessment Method: A Comprehensive Review of Existing Techniques
Andrew Balch, Maria A. Cardei, Sibylle Kranz, Afsaneh Doryab
arXiv  ·  26 Aug 2024  ·  arXiv:2408.11877
Exploring Smartphone-based Spectrophotometry for Nutrient Identification and Quantification
Exploring Smartphone-based Spectrophotometry for Nutrient Identification and Quantification
Andrew Balch, Maria A. Cardei, Afsaneh Doryab
arXiv  ·  17 Oct 2024  ·  arXiv:2410.11027
Why Algorithms Remain Unjust: Power Structures Surrounding Algorithmic Activity
Why Algorithms Remain Unjust: Power Structures Surrounding Algorithmic Activity
Andrew Balch
arXiv  ·  30 May 2024  ·  arXiv:2405.18461

News

MobiCom 2024 Presentations
MobiCom 2024 Presentations

Undergraduate Student Andrew Balch presented a demo of a smartphone-based spectrophotometer for micronutrient assessment at MobiCom 2024 in Washington D.C.! His presentation was awarded 3rd place in the undergraduate category of MobiCom’s Student Research Competition. Check out this page to learn more about the nutrition project!

UVA Today Feature

Andrew Balch was featured in a piece by UVA Today on the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship program! You can check it out here.

Virginia Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Symposium Poster Presentation
Virginia Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Symposium Poster Presentation

Andrew Balch presented his poster on a smartphone-based spectrophotometer for Vitamin B12 quantification at the 2024 Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Symposium in Richmond, Virginia!