News Archive
SBRL Research Facility Changing Locations
- 06.16.2006
After almost 3 years residence in Troy's historic Gurley Building
on Union Street, the SBRL is moving up the hill, to the Winslow Building,
formerly The Children's Museum. The new facility will occupy floors 1, 3 and 4,
sharing building space with EMPAC's offices. The move is scheduled to occur in late July
if all goes according to plans.
See Construction Photos Here
SBRL Researchers Working To Make Museum Exhibits More Accessible to the Visually Impaired
- 04.20.2006
Researchers in Rensselaer’s Social Behavioral Research Laboratory (SBRL)
are examining the usability of a miniature model of
a large-scale science exhibit in the New York Hall of Science.
The interactive, tactile model aims to make museum exhibits
more accessible for blind and low-vision visitors by allowing
them to learn about exhibits through a combination of touching
and listening.
Read Entire Article Here
Jim Watt Secures Fulbright Grant
- 04.11.2006
James Watt, Professor of Communication and Director of the Social and
Behavioral Research Laboratory, has been awarded a Fulbright Senior
Specialist Grant to visit the University of South Australia in Fall,
2006. During this visit he will work with the faculty of the School
of Communication Information and New Media to develop a new Bachelor
of Media Arts degree that includes a specialization in games and
simulation. He will assist with defining the structure, organization,
implementation, and evaluation of the new curriculum. During his
stay, he will also deliver lectures and research colloquia on topics
in human-computer interaction and computer-mediated communication.
Provisional Patent given to LL&C Doctoral Candidate D. Michael Sharp -
03.15.2006 - 04.04.2006
LL&C doctoral candidate, D. Michael Sharp, reports, "For my
dissertation, I've begun to explore what effects 3D, interactive
graphics might have on people, when presented as procedural
information. My concept differs from regular instructions because it
allows users to change their instructions to meet their own needs.
Rather than a set of static instructions, I invite the users to
transform their instructions. For this concept, the Rensselaer
a provisional patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office. It has
recently arrived, as provisional patent number 60/754,143."
For more information, visit:
http://www.rpi.edu/~sharpd
Much Fun, for Credit
- 04.24.2005
SBRL associates including Marc Destafano, Kathleen
Ruiz, Ralph Noble, and James Watt were featured in a New
York Times article April 24. The article describes the
new Game Sciences and Arts B.S. major that the School
of Humanities and Social Sciences will begin offering
in 2006. The article can be read on-line at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/education/brenna24.html
Katherine Isbister Secures
Recognition on "Best of Show" DVD From 2004 Game Developer's
Conference - 12.01.2004
SBRL Research Associate Katherine Isbister's presentation
on Social Psychology and Game Character Design at the
2004 Game Developer's Conference was selected as one of
ten released on the conference "Best of Show" DVD. She
also recently published a book chapter on agent and character
design entitled 'The Blind Men and the Elephant Revisited:
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Evaluating Conversational
Agents', co-authored with Patrick Doyle in (Z. Ruttkay
and C. Pelachaud, Eds.) From Brows to Trust: Evaluating
Embodied Conversational Agents, Volume 7, Human Computer
Interaction series, Kluwer Press.
James Watt Secures Grant
for Researching Audio and Tactile Feedback
- 10.08.2004
James Watt, Director of the SBRL, received an
$80,000 NSF grant, in conjunction with TouchGraphics of
New York City, for the project "SBIR Phase II: Creating
Accessible Science Museums for Blind and Visually Impaired
Visitors with User-Activated Audio Beacons." He also initiated
the second year of the FIPSE-funded project, "A Model
for Enhancing Graphical Learning for Students with Print
Disabilities: An Audio/Tactile Statistics Curriculum."
This project is a collaboration with Baruch College, City
University of New York. Both projects will be conducted
in the Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory.
Five-Year Horizon for HCI Research and Practice
- 12.05.2003
As the desktop computer passes into maturity
and mobile electronic devices proliferate, human-computer
interaction and its supporting disciplines also are
undergoing change. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI),
cognitive science, computer science, communication,
training and other disciplines are blurring their boundaries
in order to collaborate in designing and testing new
interface formats. What does this mean for practitioners
in industry, researchers, universities, and funding
sources?
New Face-to-Face Communication at a Distance - 10.13.2003
A Rensselaer researcher has developed a first-of-its kind Web-based videoconferencing system that allows groups to have virtual face-to-face discussions without being online simultaneously. Developed by James Watt, the Time Independent Collaborator (TIC) is patent-pending software designed to improve remote communications for distance-education, business, and other collaborations through Web-delivered video clips.
Read full article (.html)
Wayne Gray Elected Chair-Elect of Cognitive Science Society - 10.13.2003
Wayne Gray, professor of cognitive science at Rensselaer, was elected chair-elect of the Cognitive Science Society at the Society's 25th Annual Conference held in Boston in August. The election carries a three-year commitment as chair-elect, chair, and past-chair. The Cognitive Science Society is the world's leading professional society for cognitive science.
Rensselaer Opens Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory - 10.06.2003
Government officials, community leaders, researchers, and professors from the Capital Region joined on Friday to officially mark the opening of Rensselaer's Social and Behavioral Research Laboratory (SBRL). Key research initiatives were showcased during a tour of the new facility, which is housed in the historic Gurley Building in downtown Troy.
Read full article (.html)
Watch News 10's coverage (.rm)
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The SBRL provides research teams with physical space for research projects, laboratory equipment for a broad range of projects, technical support services like computer programming, networking, and equipment construction, administrative support for conducting funded research, and space for housing postdoctoral associates and graduate research assistants. Learn more
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