REU Site: Summer Program for Interdisciplinary Research and Education - Emerging Interface Technologies (SPIRE-EIT)

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

SPIRE-EIT (Summer Program for Interdisciplinary Research and Education - Emerging Interface Technologies) at Iowa State University is a 10-week interdisciplinary summer experience for 10 undergraduates that integrates research and education in emerging interface technologies with a personal, life-changing experience for participants. Students' personal transformations since 2006 have been a dramatic and consistent result alongside research publications. Students are provided with classroom training and gain hands-on experience using cutting-edge instruments, equipment, computers and cyberinfrastructure. Classes in computer programming and graphics, interface design, human-computer interaction, research skills, team skills, and ethics occupy approximately 35% of the students' time. In an unusual structure that is focused on building a community of practice, students conduct interdisciplinary research projects in groups of two or three, with all students co-located in the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC). Each group interacts with VRAC graduate students under the supervision of VRAC faculty. The research projects are presented at an end-of-the summer campus-wide research symposium in the form of posters, demos, and a five-page research paper. Frequently the students present their research at research conferences later during the school year. Two major trends are driving research in Emerging Interface Technologies: a dramatic increase of interface technologies themselves, and the ubiquitous permeation of technology into our everyday lives. Correspondingly, this research focuses on new interfaces that enhance people's perception, understanding, and performance. The SPIRE exposes students to four broad areas of EIT: information visualization, mobile/ubiquitous interfaces, intelligent agents, and enabling cyberinfrastructure. More information about this REU Site can be found at the SPIRE-EIT web site: http://www.vrac.iastate.edu/hci/reu/ .