Spring 2021 Colloquia
Building Equitable Social Computing and Visualization Tools for Democratizing Public Participation
Speaker: Narges Mahyar
Tuesday, April 27, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Narges Mahyar presents examples of her recent work using social computing and visualization technologies to democratize public participation. She describes a vision for expanding her research on building novel tools towards advanced stages of the decision-making process, such as collaborative sensemaking of complex civic data and consensus-building.
Bio: Narges Mahyar is an Assistant Professor in the College of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Victoria, an MS in Information Technology from the University of Malaya, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Tehran Azad University. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia from 2014-2016. Prior to joining UMass, she completed a second postdoctoral fellowship in the Design Lab at the University of California San Diego from 2016-2018. Her research papers have received numerous awards, including the best paper award from CSCW 2020, the outstanding paper award from the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture 2017, the honorable mention award from Interactive Surfaces and Spaces conference in 2016 and the best paper award from IEEE VAST 2014.
Bots Like You
Speaker: Maarten Lameres and Peter van der Putten
Tuesday, April 20, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Intelligent robots are all the rage nowadays, but what about emotional robots? And creative robots? Or even useless, curious, helpless or religious robots!? Does researching these bots with 'unique' human or lifelike qualities make us less or more human? And why should we care? Maarten Lameres and Peter van der Putten demonstrate that bots can be more than just smart, and argue that by studying 鈥榖ots like you鈥 we can learn more about who we are as humans, and about our future with robots.
Bio: Maarten H. Lamers is a cross-disciplinary researcher, combining computer science with other interests and playful thinking. Themes that reappear in his research and lecturing are artificial intelligence, robots, hybrid bio-digital systems, and of course playfulness. Maarten went to Lincoln Elementary School in 糖心Vlog破解版, CO (now Naropa University), holds an MSc in Computer Science from Utrecht University (1993), and a PhD in neural networks from Leiden University (2001).
Peter van der Putten is an assistant professor and creative researcher at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS), Leiden University, The Netherlands. He is interested in how intelligence can evolve through machine learning. In addition, he is also a director for decisioning and AI solutions at Pegasystems. Peter has a MSc in Cognitive Artificial Intelligence from Utrecht University and a PhD in data mining from Leiden University.
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Taking it to 11: Observations from a Decade of Teaching Design
Speaker: Jeremy Ehly
Tuesday, April 13, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Jeremy Ehly reflects on what observations and lessons he can draw from his collective experience as a design educator. Invoking the wisdom of Mister Rogers as well as Dieter Rams, Ehly shows us several student projects related to some common themes revolving around the craft of dynamic design prompts, setting student expectations, collective design processes and the shared humanity (and humor) of teaching.
Bio: Jeremy Ehly, AIA, IDSA is an Instructor in Architecture and Product Design at the Program in the Environmental Design program at CU 糖心Vlog破解版. Jeremy is a Licensed Architect who earned his Masters Degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2007. Upon graduating he began working for the global Architecture and Planning firm MVRDV in Rotterdam before working as an Architect and Art Exhibition Curator for the Chicago Arts District. He moved to Denver in 2010 and began teaching at CU 糖心Vlog破解版 as a Lecturer while working for several award winning local Architecture firms. Jeremy has led several Design-Build projects at CU in partnership with the Denver Botanic Gardens. His courses span the bridge between design and technology by employing an extensive arsenal of current software and digital methods to help illustrate, facilitate and further creative design intentions, with the goal to design/build a Playscape for an affordable housing community with ENVD students.
VR/AR History, False and Real Opportunity
Speaker: Ted Selker
Tuesday, April 6, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Ted Selker reviews and projects milestones on the journey to an augmented world in his talk. Selker discusses dreams, stumbles and successes from prehistory to now. Selker shows us that today, the surrounding environment is now active, opening doors, talking to us, and covered by displays. Personal devices now comfortably use the physical world as their stage. Selker shares his work in this realm, which strives to demonstrate considerate technology, in which people鈥檚 intentions are recognized and respected. A creator and tester of new scenarios for working with computing systems, his design practice includes consulting wherever innovation is possible.
Bio: Ted Selker is currently CTO at Alphyco. Ted spent five years as Director of Considerate Systems research at Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley, and ten years as an Associate Professor at the MIT Media Laboratory where he created the Context Aware Computing group, co-directed the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, and directed the CI/DI kitchen of the future/design of the future project. He has also served as a consulting professor at Stanford University, taught at Hampshire College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Brown University. Ted earned a role as an IBM Fellow and director of User Systems Ergonomics Research at IBM. He also worked at Xerox PARC and Atari Research Labs. Ted was given the American Association for People with Disabilities Thomas Paine Award for his work on voting technology, and was co-recipient of the Computer Science Policy Leader Award for Scientific American 50.
The Role of Technical Standards in Enabling the Future
Speaker: Ken Krechmer
Tuesday, March 30, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Ken Krechmer investigates how to predict the future using technical standards. Krechmer delves into how a better understanding can be found by looking into the history of such standards, including six successions of technical references/standards鈥攕ymbols, measurements, designs, similarity, compatibility, and adaptability (figure 1)鈥攂ased on general set theory. He shows how successions of standards offer an evolutionary technology model, showing why market control occurs and where new value is created.
Bio: Ken Krechmer is a scholar in residence in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the 糖心Vlog破解版. Ken Krechmer started his technical career working as an engineer for several electronics companies in the 1960s and 1970s. After founding one electronics company and working in sales and marketing for three others, he began standards consulting in 1980. He was a founder and the technical editor of Communications Standards Review and Communications Standards Summary 1990-2002. In 2009 he was adjunct lecturer at the 糖心Vlog破解版. He was Program Chair of the Standards and Innovation in Information Technology (SIIT) conference in 2001 (糖心Vlog破解版, CO), 2003 (Delft, Netherlands) and 2007 (Calgary, Canada); and was a co- Program Chair of SIIT 2009 (Tokyo, Japan) and SIIT 2011 (Berlin, Germany). 听He was Conference Chair of SIIT 2115 (Sunnyvale, CA, USA). Krechmer is a Senior Member of the IEEE.
Ethics in Game Design
Speaker: Sherry Jones
Tuesday, March 23, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Sherry Jones examines ethical game design through psychology, unethical dark game design patterns that manipulate player psychology, legal challenges to the gaming industry, and advanced methods for evaluating games to identify and eliminate dark patterns. She will also discuss blockchain technology in future game design, and how it could help protect consumer鈥檚 rights to their virtual property.
Bio: Sherry Jones is a philosophy and game design subject matter expert and instructor at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, where she develops and teaches courses on the philosophy and psychology of game design. Jones鈥 research focus is on educational techno-ethics, and has published a number of book chapters and articles regarding her findings. In addition, Jones serves as the OER Council at-large representative for the Colorado Department of Higher Education, the co-chair of ISTE Games and Simulations Network, and a steering committee member of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Learning, Games, and Education (LEG) Special Interest Group. She also is the editor-in-chief of The Liminal: Interdisciplinary Journal of Technology in Education, an open-access journal hosted at the University of Denver鈥檚 Digital Commons.
How to study cultural phenomena? Insights from Cultural Attraction Theory
Speaker: Helena Miton听
Tuesday, March 16, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Helena Miton explores cultural attraction theory, one framework in cultural evolution, that can be used across different cultural domains and diverse types of causal factors relevant to explaining the emergence, success, and evolution of cultural types. Miton explains how this framework can be used to integrate both cognitive processes or physical constraints as factors stabilizing cultural phenomena, as evidenced by several case studies.
Bio: Milton's research agenda approaches culture as an emergent effect of human everyday life. It aims to understand how individuals interact to produce, organize and transmit cultural systems. Aiming to redefine how we study culture, her research program includes both theoretical advances and empirical case studies. She studies cultural evolution using data from human and social sciences, with a strong emphasis on cognitive science. Helena received her PhD in Cognitive Science from the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary). Prior to that, she earned a M.S in Cognitive Science from the Ecole Normale Suprieure, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, and Paris Descartes University, and a B.A. in Sociology from Paris Sorbonne University.
Packaging and Delivery: From Seeds to Mars
Speaker: Lining Yao
Tuesday, March 9, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Bio: Lining Yao discusses different morphing mechanisms in natural seeds and microorganisms, and ends with a presentation of an ecological vision of the future empowered by morphing materials. Yao describes the designer's role in such efforts to build, or rebuild, a harmonious relationship between technology and the environment.
Abstract: Lining Yao is an Assistant Professor of Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) at Carnegie Mellon University, School of Computer Science, directing the Morphing Matter Lab. Morphing Matter lab develops materials, tools, and applications of adaptive, dynamic and intelligent morphing matter from nano to macro scales. Lining gained her PhD at MIT Media Lab, where she combined biological and engineering approaches to develop physical materials with dynamic and tunable properties including shape, color, stiffness, texture and density. Lining holds courtesy appointments at Mechanical Engineering, as well as Material Sciences and Engineering. She is supervising undergraduate and graduate students across the College of Engineering and College of Art.
Tangible Designs for Multisensory Minds
Speaker: Ali Mazelek
Tuesday, March 2, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Ali Mazalek discusses her ongoing research and prototype systems from the Synaesthetic Media Lab, which explores how tangible and embodied interactions can support and enhance creativity, discovery and learning across the physical and digital worlds.
Bio: Mazalek is a Canada Research Chair in Digital Media and Innovation and an Associate Professor in the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University. She is also an Affiliate Scientist at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital. Mazalek received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the MIT Media Lab and a Hon. B.Sc. in computer science and mathematics from the University of Toronto. She is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. At Mazalek鈥檚 Synaesthetic Media Lab, physical materials, analog sensors, and digital media happily co-exist and come together in novel ways to support creativity and expression across both science and art disciplines.
Live Coding Using Crowdsourced Sounds and a Virtual Agent: State of Affairs and Implications for HCI Research
Speaker: Anna Xambo
Tuesday, February 23, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Anna Xambo, a researcher and musician with a background in computer science, social sciences and digital arts, presents research related to the EPSRC HDI Network Plus Grant project "MIRLCAuto: A Virtual Agent for Music Information Retrieval in Live Coding.鈥
Bio: Xambo studied HCI and music technology at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and completed her PhD in computer-supported collaboration on interactive tabletops for music performance at The Open University. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Music and Audio Technology at De Montfort University (Leicester, UK) and a member of the Music, Technology and Innovation - Institute of Sonic Creativity (MTI^2). Xambo鈥檚 research and practice focus on sound and music computing systems looking at novel approaches to collaborative, participatory, and live coding experiences.
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The Portable Laser Cutting
Speaker: Thijs Roumen
Tuesday, February 16, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Thijs Roumen delves into how to exchange files that exist in 2D into 3D for laser cutting, and demonstrates a software tool to reconstruct the 3D geometry of the model encoded in a 2D cutting plan. Roumen shares his goal to enable users worldwide to collaborate, share, and reuse files.
Bio: Roumen is a PhD candidate in Human Computer Interaction at Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, where he works In the lab of Prof. Dr. Patrick Baudisch. Roumen received his MSc from the University of Southern Denmark, S酶nderborg in 2013 and BSc from the Technical University of Eindhoven, Netherlands in 2011. His research interests are in personal fabrication, digital collaboration and enabling increased complexity for laser cutting.
Inner Rhythms: Music Technologies Informed by Perception and Physiology
Speaker: Grace Leslie
Tuesday, February 9, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: ATLAS presents Grace Leslie, an assistant professor of Music Technology at Georgia Tech, where she directs the Brain Music Lab. As part of the ATLAS Colloquium series, this talk explores the lab鈥檚 recent projects and research, which aims to employ musical brain-computer interfaces to promote wellness through creative methods.
Bio: Leslie builds brain-computer interfaces that reveal aspects of her internal mental state, those left unexpressed by sound or gesture, to an audience. Grace completed her Ph.D. in Music and Cognitive Science at UCSD. She completed her undergraduate and Masters work in Music, Science, and Technology at CCRMA, Stanford University, and now takes her background in sound and technology to Georgia Tech at the Brain Music Lab.
Using Non-Invasive Brain Measurement to Predict Social, Cognitive, and Affective States in Real-Time
Speaker: Leanne Hirshfield
Tuesday, February 2, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Leanne Hirshfield, associate research professor at the CU Institute of Cognitive Science, explores the research being conducted in the SHINE (System Human Interaction with NIRS and EEG) Lab at CU 糖心Vlog破解版. Hirshfield gives an introduction to the fNIRS device and the brain, and provides an overview of several ongoing projects in the SHINE lab.
Bio: Hirshfield鈥檚 research at the SHINE explores the use of non-invasive brain measurement to passively classify users鈥 social, cognitive, and affective states in order to enhance usability testing and adaptive system design. Hirshfield received her Ph.D.in Computer Science from Tufts University in 2009 after completing her undergraduate and M.S. degrees in Computer Science at Hamilton College and the Colorado School of Mines, respectively.
Identity Transformation Through Theatrical Play
Speaker: Tess Tanenbaum
Tuesday, January 26, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Tess Tanenbaum explores issues of gender, identity and narrative, particularly with regard to identity transformation and empathy in digital narratives and games. Her work draws on theories and methodologies from the performing arts and human-computer-interaction.
Bio: Tanenbaum is a game designer, artist, maker, and assistant professor in the Department of Informatics at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California-Irvine, where she is a founding member of the Transformative Play Lab. She received her PhD from the School of Interactive Arts + Technology at Simon Fraser University.
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Smart Textiles, Electronic Textiles, and Glowing Sequins (Oh My!)
Speaker: Topher Anderson
Tuesday, January 19, 11:30am - 12:30pm MT
Abstract: Topher Anderson delves into smart textiles and functional fabrics, an emerging technology and rapidly growing field of research. Anderson explains how smart Textiles help to collect novel user data that traditional laptops and phones can鈥檛. These smart Textiles are used in flexible sensors, robotics, architecture, antenna design, interactive upholstery, car seat heating, and flexible circuit board construction, and Anderson presents different brainstorming prototypes as well as active areas of research in this field.
Bio: Topher Anderson is the manager of technical embroidery at the ZSK Research and Training Center in Seattle, Washington. Topher鈥檚 research is at the crossroads of design and engineering using technical fabrics for both function and aesthetic. Topher previously worked in Microsoft鈥檚 Applied Science Group developing futuristic flexible electronics for consumer applications, Lockheed Martin working with electronics for spacecraft design, and Philips working on novel types of textile based EMI shielding for simultaneous PET/MRI scanners. Prior to his current position, Topher was a professor at Jefferson University in the engineering department. Topher holds a PhD in Textile Engineering from Jefferson University, a MS in Biomedical Engineering from RWTH, and BSE in architectural engineering from Philadelphia University.