Abstract:

For several decades, tangible and embodied interaction (TEI), human-computer interaction that engages our bodies and physical environment, has been the topic of intense technological, scientific, artistic, humanistic, and mass-market research and practice. Our upcoming book (Spring 2022, ACM Books) Weaving Fire into Form: Aspirations for Tangible and Embodied Interaction, which I co-authored with Brygg Ullmer, Caroline Hummles, and Ali Mazalek, with a forward by Hiroshi Ishii, aims to provide a resource for teaching and research in this emerging area. It investigates the foundations of the field and sets aspirations for future directions.

In this talk, I will share highlights from the book and will show examples of novel tangible and embodied interfaces developed in my lab that have been applied to address real-world challenges related to the future of work and learning. I will also discuss new research methods, which we developed to investigate the impact of such systems on individuals and groups.

Bio:

Orit Shaer is a Professor of Computer Science and Media Arts and Sciences at Wellesley College. She directs the Wellesley College Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab. Her research focuses on novel human-computer interaction for the future of work and learning. Dr Shaer is a Senior Member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), and a recipient of multiple NSF and industry awards including the NSF CAREER Award. She is a steering committee member of the ACM conference on Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction.

Schedule – EST (UTC-5)

6:45 – 7:00: Networking (via Zoom)

7:00 – 8:00: Presentation

8:00 – 8:30: Q & A