Vinithra Varadharajan, a Masters Student at the Robotics Institute, School of Computer Science, is a recipient of the 2006 Google Anita Borg scholarship. Her current research is on the Haptic Rendering and Psychophysical Evaluation of a Virtual Three-Dimensional Helical Spring. In the summer of 2003 she taught English to a class of under-privileged middle school blind students in India. She has also given presentations on India to high school students in Pittsburgh as a volunteer for the World Affairs Council.

DeSIGN is an educational software designed to intelligently reinforce vocabulary and American Sign Language signs for deaf students in middle school. The motivation for this V-Unit project is to raise the reading comprehension level of deaf students graduating from high school, and enhance their participation in society. This software is designed to have an interactive tutor interface and includes a game. This work is done in collaboration with the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Pittsburgh, PA.