About

This blog was initially created to facilitate ideation and feedback for my capstone project, PalauGen. Post-graduation it has morphed somewhat into a personal/professional essay repository.

The Project: PalauGen

PalauGen is short for “Palauan Genealogy”. It’s the working name of a software application whose requirements I developed as my capstone project a Master’s degree in Computer Science.

PalauGen as an application is not unlike other genealogy software like Ancestry.com (though on a lot smaller scale). However, as informed by Palauan culture and Indigenous knowledge practices, it has an emphasis on flexible information control and flexibility of relationship links.

You can send questions and comments via this contact form!

Current Status

Last updated July 23, 2019

PalauGen is still under development. I had started developing it using the MEAN stack (well, minus Angular), but went back to the drawing board to complete the requirements document as my capstone project.

As of July 2019, I’m considering how to move forward with the project such that it takes a form which is useful to my community.

The Author

Hi, I’m Diliaur! I’m a Palauan living in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and a recent graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I’m a software engineer/computer scientist by training. My research interests fall within the field of human-computer interaction, with emphasis on Indigenous and Native culture/identity/experience on social media and the Internet.

My main work during the completion of my master’s was on Palauan genealogy knowledge preservation/supplementation with a social media-like software application built with web technologies (see above, “The Project: PalauGen”). Other research and professional interests include: web design and development, user-centered design, accessibility & universal access, data visualization, and sociopolitical experiences on and of social media (to name a few…).

Decolonization, Indigenous/Native resurgence, appropriating technology for minority group needs, and socialist ideologies frame my worldview and research motivations.

In my spare time, I enjoy photography, watercolor painting, and various textile crafts, honing my programming skills, and spending time with friends and family (preferably at the beach and/or with bubble tea).